


The Raven

by Noctem31



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Eventual Dark Harry Potter, F/M, Gryffindor Harry, Introspective Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood & Harry Potter Friendship, M/M, Morally Ambiguous Character, Morally Grey Harry Potter, Not exactly Ron bashing but he can be a jealous idiot sometimes, OOC Cedric Diggory, Protective Slytherins, Slytherins Being Slytherins, Slytherins are good friends, Smart Harry Potter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-01-22 19:57:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 27,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21307736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noctem31/pseuds/Noctem31
Summary: Forced into a tournament he wanted no part of, and scorned by his friends, Harry Potter decides he doesn't have time for their games. When an unknown figure begins offering help and protection, Harry starts to question everything he knows about Hogwarts and the people within.
Relationships: Daphne Greengrass/Original Male Character(s), Harry Potter/Blaise Zabini, Luna Lovegood/Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott/Pansy Parkinson
Comments: 258
Kudos: 1615





	1. Raven Pendants and Red Journals

**Author's Note:**

> As usual, all credit goes to JKR, I own nothing. This is just for fun. 
> 
> In this fanfic I will be deviating a little from canon. For example, Neville's parents were never tortured and the Lestranges are not in Azkaban. The Lestranges have a son named Castor Lestrange.
> 
> I will also be changing the Triwizard Tournament tasks because I feel like readers get sick of reading the same tasks over and over again in fanfiction. So don't worry! This one will be different.

_ “Mr. Potter has no choice. He is, as of tonight, A triwizard champion.” _

* * *

Harry struggled to keep his feet moving as he made his way back to Gryffindor Tower. He felt numb, not even fear tickled at the back of his mind. He was completely numb. Empty.

“Alright Potter?” 

Harry turned to his left to see Draco and Blaise Zabini leaning against the stone wall outside of the Great Hall. Draco’s expression was mildly curious, while Blaise simply crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Fine,” was all Harry could get out before he continued his walk to the tower. He didn’t even have the heart to question why Draco Malfoy of all people was suddenly showing an interest in his well being. 

It took nearly three times longer than usual, but eventually he stepped through the threshold of his dorm room. He ignored the looks Ron sent him as he changed clothing and climbed into his bed. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. 

* * *

The next morning Harry sat as far away from the rest of Gryffindor House as he possibly could. He couldn’t stand the constant whispering and glares they sent him when they thought he wasn’t paying attention. 

He picked at his food, unable to eat more than half of what was on his plate. Eventually he gave up on eating and cradled a warm cup of coffee in his hands. He savored the warmth as it ran down his throat and settled in his stomach. 

He let out a sigh after a long while and decided he didn’t care anymore. Why was this any different than second year? They hated him then and they hated him now. Things would never change. They only liked him when he was earning house points or catching the golden snitch during the Gryffindor quidditch matches. 

Harry didn’t need them. He certainly wasn’t going to waste time on people who turned their backs on him at nearly every opportunity. He would figure it out on his own, he decided. He would study and do everything within his power to complete the tasks. He didn’t have time for the drama, not when his life was at risk. 

Harry took another sip of his coffee, but nearly dropped the cup when a raven almost landed on his half empty plate. The rather intelligent looking bird stole a piece of bacon before spreading its wings and flying from the Great Hall. 

He watched it go before noticing the package it had left behind. It was thin and rectangular with a slight lump on one side. Wondering if it was from Sirius, he picked it up and glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention. Everyone was purposefully ignoring him, so he cast several curse detection spells before carefully ripping open the package. 

Inside were two items. The first was a raven pendant on a black chain. The raven was flying with its wings spread wide, an it had crimson eyes and black metal feathers that glinted in the light. 

He put it aside to look over the second item, a red leather journal with black fastenings. He opened the cover to see six words written on the first page,

_ ‘Wear the pendant. Don’t trust Dumbledore.’ _

Harry froze in shock as he stared at the page. After a moment, he flipped through the rest of the journal, but there was nothing else. He half expected the words to fade, but they were still there when he turned back to the first page,

‘_Wear the pendant. Don’t trust Dumbledore.’ _

He thought the handwriting was familiar, but he couldn’t place it. He thought of Tom Riddle’s diary, and looked over the journal more closely. 

It was obviously new, not old like Tom Riddle’s diary. It also didn’t have the same… _ taste _, as Tom Riddle’s diary. It was different, yet it still felt familiar somehow. 

_ ‘Don’t trust Dumbeldore.’ _

Harry certainly felt betrayed by the Headmaster. The man hadn't done a single thing to help him get out of this situation the previous night. Harry was angry with Dumbledore, but that didn’t mean he didn’t trust him. He had to believe Headmaster Dumbledore was looking for a way to break the magical contract. 

Feeling slightly nervous, Harry slipped the red journal and the pendant into his backpack. He would look into it further after his classes were over. 

Harry accidentally ran into Draco Malfoy as he left the hall. “Watch it Potter,” Draco hissed as he shoved him back. Draco discreetly forced a crumpled piece of paper into his hand as he pushed past him. 

Harry held it tightly at his side as he watched Draco disappear with the rest of the Slytherins into the crowd of students. 

He opened it as he walked to his first class of the day, unable to wait until later. Careful to make sure no one was watching him, he pulled apart the wrinkled paper. It read, _ ‘Be careful Potter, things are not as the seem. You are being watched.'’ _

Harry felt a wave of frustration come over him as he crumpled the note back up and shoved it into his backpack with the journal and pendant. 

_ What the hell is going on? _He asked himself.

After classes ended, he found the most secluded section of the library and cast a notice-me-not charm to prevent people from bothering him. 

He then sat down and took out the journal and Draco's note to compare the two. He set them side by side on the table and immediately noticed the difference in handwriting. Whoever wrote in the journal certainly wasn't Draco Malfoy. 

He pushed the journal and the note across the table out of anger and dropped his face into his hands. He wished he had someone to ask for advice, but something was telling him to keep everything to himself. _ Something wasn't right. _If two different people were warning him, it meant he was in danger. Though whether or not Draco and the mystery writer were trustworthy was up for debate. Maybe they were the ones trying to lead him into a trap. 

Either way, he would take their advice and watch his own back. He wouldn't trust anyone moving forward until he had more information. 

Harry brought the journal and the note closer again, hoping to find some kind of clue. He nearly gasped when he opened the journal and found seven more words written underneath the original sentence. 

_ 'Wear the pendant and don't take it off.' _

Harry quickly grabbed a quill and ink from his backpack and wrote, _ 'Why should I trust you?' _His hand shook as he waited for a response. 

The mystery writer wrote back, _ 'Protective wards and spells, Volume V, pg. 73' _

Harry immediately went and found the librarian. He gave her the title of the book he was looking for and watched patiently as she searched through the ledger book. He followed her for what felt like an eternity through the library before she stopped and picked a book from the shelf. 

"Here you are," she said. "Make sure to put it back when you are done."

With that she returned to her desk and Harry returned to his dusty corner of the library. 

He set the book down gently and flipped to page 73 as quickly as he could manage without tearing the pages. 

** _Protective Magical Objects _ **

_ Magical objects such as necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and rings can be imbued with wards and spells to help protect the wearer from those who wish to cause them magical harm. _

_ A skilled witch or wizard can cast wards on an object to shield the wearer from most mild forms of harmful magic, such as compulsion spells, jinxs, hexes, and some curses…. _

Harry once again picked up the journal and scribbled out, 

_ 'How do I know the pendant is going to protect me and not hurt me?' _

_ 'Chapter 13.' _

Harry flipped to the chapter and read the heading, 

** _Chapter 13: How to tell if a Magical Object is Dangerous_ **

The chapter listed several magical detection spells that Harry already knew, but it also listed many more he had never heard of before. There was even a spell to diagnose which wards and spells were already on the journal. 

He practiced the wand movements for several minutes before pointing his wand at the pendant and murmuring, 

_ "Ipsum Revelare _."

He repeated the incantation two more times before touching the tip of his wand to a blank sheet of parchment. _ "Veritatem." _

Slowly words began to appear on the page, 

**Basic Protection Ward **

**Mental Clarity Charm **

**Minor Hex and Jinx Ward**

**Minor Curse Ward **

**Compulsion Shield Ward**

**Portkey **

Harry's jaw twitched as he read the last word. The very last thing he needed was a pendant that could randomly take him away from Hogwarts. Whoever was on the other end of that journal would probably take him straight to Voldemort. 

He picked up his quill and wrote in the journal, _ 'I won't wear a Portkey.' _

_ 'It is a one way Portkey. Only you can activate it.' _

_ 'And how do I do that?' _Harry asked. 

_ 'You hold the pendant in your hand and say the words "Concedam salutem", it will take you to safety if you need it.' _

Harry frowned, _ 'You mean it will take me to you?' _

The mystery writer didn't respond.

Sighing, Harry removed the pendant from his backpack and dropped it on the table next to the journal. He stared at it for a long while, noticing the way the raven's red eyes flickered in the light. He didn't know who sent him the pendant, but after casting several detection spells he felt confident it wouldn't hurt him. The only thing preventing him from wearing it was the portkey feature. 

Harry spent the next 10 minutes considering his options before he finally slipped the black chain over his neck. He needed all the help he could get. 


	2. Hidebehinds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey just so you guys know I changed the lion pendant to a black raven pendant. I thought it was more appropriate.

Two weeks went by without a word from the mystery writer and Harry was getting desperate. 

His search for answers had come up empty and he was running out of ideas. 

Besides that, things at Hogwarts were getting… _ weird _, to say the least. More than once he had noticed some of the Slytherins watching him. Not maliciously, just curiously. 

There was also the time Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott cornered Ron and told him to piss off after Ron purposely bumped into Harry. Harry had bent down to pick up his books, and by the time he stood up again Ron was against the wall looking utterly terrified. Ron never even bothered to look in his direction after that. Even Hermione looked skeptical. 

Harry’s first instinct was to tell the Slytherins to leave his friends alone, but he was too angry and too tired to care about what happened to Ron and Hermione. If they wanted to abandon him for something he didn’t do, he wouldn’t put in any effort to help them. They obviously weren’t his friends anymore.

And on top of it all, the first task was approaching and he had no idea what to expect. Harry spent most of his days researching defensive and offensive spells, but other than that he didn’t know what to do. 

Over the next few days Harry took up a new habit of wandering the castle and the grounds. He couldn’t sit still for longer than a few minutes. 

At one point Harry found himself walking along the edge of the forbidden forest. He walked slowly and stared down his feet, watching as moisture from the grass began to soak through his shoes. 

He sighed and moved a little closer to the forest. Harry stopped and placed one foot on the line between the Hogwarts grounds and the forbidden forest. One half of his foot was situated on green grass, while the other side was sinking into black mud. He swore he could almost feel the Hogwarts wards ending in that spot. He wondered what it would feel like to be free. Free from the suffocating atmosphere of Hogwarts and from the Dursleys. 

He wondered if he could use some of the money from his Gringotts account to rent a muggle apartment. He wouldn be perfectly happy living alone, away from the rest of the world. Harry huffed in frustration as he kicked at the ground. Dumbledore would never allow it. 

Harry was jerked out of his thoughts as he heard a stick snap behind him. He spun around and saw Draco and Blaise standing there. 

“What do you want?” He asked, feeling off balance. 

Draco glanced down and noticed the raven pendant around Harry’s neck. Harry thought he noticed a glint of approval cross over the blonds face, but it was so subtle he wondered if he imagined it. 

Harry tucked the pendant underneath his shirt and asked again with a little more force, “What do you want?” 

Draco made eye contact and said matter of factly, “The first task is approaching and you have no idea what you are doing.” 

Harry clenched his jaw for a moment out of anger, but then relaxed. “Okay, you’re right about that one.” 

Draco and Blaise looked at one another. “We know what the first task is,” Draco told him as he turned back to face him. “So do all of the other contestants.” 

Harry’s jaw dropped a little, “Are you serious?” 

“Of course,” Blaise said smoothly as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Cheating is part of the tournament.” 

“He’s right,” added Draco. “Krum and Delacour were each informed weeks ago by their mentors.” 

Harry felt sick. “And Cedric?” 

“I don’t know if Cedric knows, but he is a lot more resourceful and manipulative than you think. He probably knows.”

Blaise nodded in agreement, “He should have been a Slytherin.” 

“How do you know about this?” Asked Harry. “How do I know you are telling the truth?”

“We have… connections.” Blaise said cryptically. 

“Of course you do,” Harry muttered to himself. He was furious. He was in a tournament he had no business being part of, and he was the only contestant who didn’t know what the task was. How was any of this fair? 

As if reading his thoughts Draco stepped closer. “Listen Potter. You shouldn’t be in this tournament, but you are. So if you want to stay alive you need to play dirty.”

“No one is looking out for you,” added Blaise. “You have to look out for yourself and do whatever it takes. Besides, this could be an opportunity.” 

“How is all of _ this _an opportunity?” Harry spat.

“The students of Hogwarts hate you. Prove to them you are more than they could ever hope to be. Win the tournament.” 

“I don’t care about winning,” he said instantly. “I never wanted any of this.” 

“No you didn’t,” Draco replied darkly. “But here you are. You have to accept it and use it to your advantage, otherwise people will continue using you for the rest of your life. You don’t seem like someone who likes being taken advantage of. Show them you're not someone they can fuck with.” 

“Is that what you do? They Slytherins?” He asked. 

Blaise smirked. 

Part of Harry wanted to resist, to run away and reject what they were telling him. However, an even bigger part of him was saying that they were right. He latched onto that part of him and held it tight. He had been pushed him too far this time and he was done being taken advantage of. He wasn’t theirs anymore. 

“Okay.” Harry said after a long time. “But how do I know I can trust you? Why are you helping me?” 

Draco stepped closer until they were only standing a foot apart. “What is your gut telling you? I told you, not everything is as it seems.” 

Harry’s gut was telling him something he wasn’t ready to consider, but he knew he needed help if he were to win. Besides, out of everyone in Hogwarts, they were the only ones looking out for him. Yes, he was suspicious, but he was out of options. 

His face was serious as he replied. “Okay I will trust you, but don’t make me regret it. Otherwise I will make you regret it.” Both Draco and Blaise smirked. 

“Okay then. Follow us and we will show you the first task.” Draco said as he gestured to the Forbidden Forest. 

"Why in there?" 

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because that's where we need to go if you want to understand the task."

Harry gritted his teeth before following Draco and Blaise into the forest. 

Darkness swallowed them whole as they left the Hogwarts grounds behind. Harry looked up at the impenetrable tree canopy and wondered how any creature could live in a place so completely devoid of light. 

"We're not supposed to be here," said Draco. "There are guards everywhere, so we have to stay hidden."

"Guards? Why are there guards?" 

"You will see," replied Blaise patiently. 

They continued on through the forest until they came to a small ridge. They climbed it together and stumbled across the very last thing any of them expected to see. 

Harry gasped as he took in the sight of Luna Lovegood standing in a small clearing whispering gently to a young unicorn. 

“You are very beautiful,” she whispered so quietly they almost couldn’t hear. “Thank you for allowing me to visit with you.” 

She reached out a hand and ran her fingers through its mane. The unicorn leaned into her touch, obviously enjoying the attention. 

Harry shifted into a better position and nearly swore when he heard a branch snap underneath his left foot. The unicorn looked in his direction before running off into the forest. He tried to duck down behind the ridge, but Luna smiled and said, “Come out Harry, I know you’re there.” 

Harry stood, followed by Draco and Blaise. “I am sorry Luna.”

“Don’t be sorry,” she said in her usual sing-songy voice. “I was expecting you all.” 

“You were?” Draco and Blaise asked simultaneously. 

Luna nodded. “Of course. Harry needs to know what he is facing.” She glided over to Harry and linked their arms. “Come along now, we don’t have much time.” 

Draco opened his mouth as if to protest, but Harry sent him an icy glare and the blond snapped his mouth shut. 

Harry smiled at Luna, feeling happy to be with someone he trusted. He held her arm a little tighter as they followed Draco deeper into the forest. 

They walked for another 20 minutes or so before Draco and Blaise gestured for them to stop. Draco made the shushing motion with his finger before getting down on his hands and knees and crawling up behind a set of bushes near the top of a small hill. The rest of them followed until they were kneeling beside him. 

Draco pointed to a small opening between the roots of the bushes, and Harry got down on his stomach so he could see. As he looked between the roots, he saw a large clearing in the distance. 

At the center of the clearing was a huge glass dome, at least a quarter of the size of a quidditch pitch. There were at least a dozen witches and wizards holding torches spread randomly around the dome watching something within. 

“What is inside that?” Harry asked hesitantly. Not knowing if he wanted to know the answer. 

“Look closer,” Luna said. “To the left.” 

Harry looked again and saw what she was talking about. A skinny creature resembling a bear came out from behind a tree and stood near the edge of the dome on two long and skinny back legs. The creature’s limbs were thin like tree branches and Harry could see its bony ribs. The whole thing looked almost like a living skeleton. Its silvery hair, long sharp teeth, and knife-like claws glinted in the torchlight. Its jet black eyes were angry as they darted around. The creature dug its claws deep inside of a nearby tree, and Harry realized it must be at least 12 feet tall. 

“What,” he breathed, “in the mother of fuck is that?” 

“The first task,” replied Draco. 

“It's a hidebehind,” Luna said matter of factly. “Very dangerous.” 

Harry shook his head “A hidebehind? I have never heard of it.” He couldn’t take his eyes off of the terrifying creature as it continued walking. Its stick-like arms almost reached its knees as they swung slowly beside it.

Blaise moved to lay beside him so he could look at the ghoulish beast. “They are native to America. They brought four of them in just for the tournament.” 

“There are four of them?” Harry whispered frantically. 

“You only have to face one,” Draco said. 

“Oh, only one,” Harry spat. “No big deal. It's not like that thing could rip me to shreds or anything. It looks like death incarnate. Merlin, Only one.”

He closed his eyes and asked, “Why is it called a hidebehind? What can it do?” 

Draco let out a sigh, “It is called a hidebehind because it can either become invisible or contort itself to hide behind any object whenever it sees a human. The glass is charmed one-way glass, so it can’t see all of the people currently standing outside of the dome. We can see it, but it can’t see us.” 

“They are nocturnal and they only hunt human beings.” Luna added. 

“Bloody hell, I can’t do this.” Harry shook his head. How could he possibly face that thing? He was only 14 and he wasn’t supposed to be in the tournament in the first place. “What do they want us to do with it?” 

“They want you to defeat it, to restrain it with magic. They will put you in the dome with one of them and give you points based on the complexity of the magic you use, and your ability to avoid injury.”

Harry shook his head. He pulled away from the bushes and crawled back down the hill. He leaned against a tree trunk and tried to keep himself from being sick. 

Luna, Draco and Blaise followed. They waited quietly for a moment for him to calm down before Draco knelt in front of him. “You can do this.” He said. 

“How?” Harry seethed. “There is no way. There has to be a way for me to get out of this tournament. What if I just don’t show up?” 

Blaise shook his head. “A binding contract was created the second your name came out of that cup. You’re stuck. You have to compete or you will lose your magic.” 

Harry tried to imagine life without his magic and couldn’t. His magic was everything to him. It was his reason for living. He would rather die than lose it. 

He closed his eyes and prayed to whatever gods existed that he make it out of this alive. 

“Harry we are going to help you,” Draco stood and held out a hand. “We have a plan. You are going to win this tournament.” 

Harry opened his eyes and sighed, “What plan?” 

Draco grabbed his shoulder and pulled him to his feet. “Trust us and you will see.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading! A hidebehind is a mythological creature in American folklore. It is also a creature found in the Harry Potter universe, I'm fairly certain JKR got the idea from the American myth actually. 
> 
> This image is kind of what I imagined it looking like, the only difference is that its face is more bear-like. I don't own the image, I just saw it on tumblr and thought it was a cool representation. Here is the original link: 
> 
> https://66.media.tumblr.com/46e0e0c8ebfe5ef9c06087758846b51b/tumblr_oejy50vqqR1txivxro1_400.jpg
> 
> I hope you guys liked this chapter! Please leave feedback!


	3. Think Like A Slytherin, Test Them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I changed a couple of small things in the first two chapters, like the pendant is now a raven pendant because that makes more sense for this story and I was an idiot not to think of it sooner.
> 
> For those of you who left comments on the last chapter, I will be replying tomorrow! I just wanted to post the new chapter. Thanks for reading!!

Harry sat on his bed in the Gryffindor dorms with the curtains closed tightly around him. He cast a privacy charm for good measure before taking out the red journal. His black raven pendant swung back and forth from where it hung on his neck as he bent over the book. 

He picked up his self inking quill and held the tip just above the empty page, unsure of what he really wanted to ask the mystery writer. 

After several minutes of hovering over the page, he clenched his jaw and wrote, 

_ ‘I need to know who you are and why you are helping me?’ _

Harry was supposed to meet Draco and some of the other Slytherins the next day so they could plan out how he would defeat the hidebehind in the upcoming tournament. 

Since the day Draco and Blaise took him into the forbidden forest, Harry had asked himself a thousand times why  _ they  _ of all people were helping him. He was confused and he needed answers before he went any further. The only person he could think to ask was the person who reached out to him immediately after his name came out of the cup. The mystery writer. 

Harry waited, and waited. An hour went by without a response and Harry was close to falling asleep. 

He flopped back onto his pillows and picked up the journal again, hoping to finally see a response written on the page. 

He opened the leather cover and sat up straight when he saw the mystery writer had finally written back.

_ ‘You will know in time. You must be patient.’  _

Harry’s excitement faded as he read the note. Once again, he had nothing. No answers. He stifled a frustrated groan as he once again felt the full weight of how alone he was. 

He rubbed his eyes and picked up his quill. 

_ ‘Can you tell me anything else? Anything at all?’  _

_ ‘Trust the Slytherins. They will protect you.’ _

Harry quickly scribbled back,  _ ‘Why? What reason do they have?’ _

There was a slight pause before more words began to appear,  _ ‘You are not ready to know everything. There are many things you need to learn on your own. You must discover the truth for yourself. Be patient and trust the Slytherins. Trust your instincts.’ _

Harry shook his head,  _ ‘Why should I trust them? They are the least trustworthy people in the whole school.’ _

_ ‘You already trust them,’  _ the mystery writer wrote. _ ‘And you are wrong. Slytherins protect one another, unlike Gryffindors.’ _

That one stung, and Harry closed the journal for a minute as he considered it. The more he thought about it, the more he realized the mystery writer was probably right. Never before had he seen the Slytherins bully one another. They were inseparable as far as he could tell. 

He frowned as he wrote,  _ ‘But how do I know they aren’t just trying to get me killed? How do I know you aren’t trying to get me killed?’ _

_ ‘Actions speak louder than words.’  _ The mystery writer replied.  _ ‘Trust your instincts. Only you can decide who to trust. If you are worried, test them.’ _

_ ‘Test them? How?’ _

_ ‘That is for you to decide. Think like a Slytherin.’ _

_ ‘That isn’t easy when you are a Gryffindor.’  _ Harry wrote with a sigh. 

_ ‘I believe you will find it easier than most.’  _

Harry just shook his head and put the journal back under his pillow. He would just have to figure it out on his own. 

* * *

The following day Harry stood outside the potions classroom along with the rest of the students. He leaned against the wall away from the crowd, waiting for Snape to appear in a dramatic fashion. 

Harry noticed Ron standing off to his left with some of the other Gryffindors. Ron had his back turned to him, which suddenly gave him an idea. 

Harry looked around until he found Draco standing with Blaise Zabini, Theo Nott, and Castor Lestrange far off to his right. He then turned back to Ron and discreetly took out his wand. He cast a fairly strong stinging hex in his ex-friend’s direction and smirked when it hit him in the leg.

Ron yelped loudly and spun around, his face red with anger. When he realized the only one standing behind him was Harry, he stomped over and hissed, “What in the bloody hell do you think you are doing Potter.” 

Ron took out his wand as Harry held up his hands, “I don’t know what you are talking about Weasley.” 

Before Ron could say another word the Slytherins were there. Draco and Blaise got between Harry and Ron, while Theo grabbed Harry’s shoulder and pulled him back. 

Castor moved to stand behind Ron, silent as a shadow. His black eyes glinted as he flicked his wrist, sending his wand into his hand from the holster on his forearm. 

Draco stepped forward until he was standing only inches away from Ron. Harry realized that Draco was several inches taller than Ron, and Ron seemed to realize it too as he took a step back. Draco took another step closer, closing the distance once again. He glared as he whispered calmly, “Walk away Weasley, before I make you regret it.” 

“You can’t threaten me Malfoy.” Ron replied, his face turning even more red. 

“Look around Weasley. You’re in the dungeons,” Draco pointed out with a smirk. “You are in my territory and Harry is my friend. Did you think I would just allow you to hurt him?”

“He hurt me!” Ron almost yelled as he gestured to Harry. 

Castor stepped closer and touched the back of Ron’s neck with the tip of his sleek black wand. “I didn’t see anything.” Castor raised an eyebrow, “Did you Draco? Blaise?” 

“No,” Blaise replied with a casual shrug. “I didn’t see anything.” 

“Me neither.” Draco added. 

“Hmmm, must have been your imagination then Weasley,” Castor said quietly. “Right?” 

Sweat was beading on Ron’s forehead as he began to protest. Castor pressed his wand harder into the back of his neck. Ron shut up immediately and glared in Harry’s direction. “You’re right,” he said in an empty tone. “Must have imagined it.” 

The Slytherins backed off immediately. Draco stepped back and Castor put his wand away. 

Ron stepped away from the group, his glare never once wavering. “Glad to see you’re a Slytherin now Potter. Maybe you really are the next Dark Lord.” Harry simply glared back as Ron walked away. 

He felt something settle within him as Ron rejoined the Gryffindors. He had all the proof he needed after seeing how quickly the Slytherins jumped to his aid. The mystery writer was right, he could trust the Slytherins. Harry still didn’t know why they were helping him, but at least he knew they would be there to help him if he needed it. 

Castor raised an eyebrow as he asked, ‘You alright Potter?” 

“I’m fine,” Harry reassured him. “Everything is fine.” 

“What the hell was that about?” Blaise asked. 

Harry shook his head, “I have no idea what his problem is.” He obviously didn’t want them to know that he had been testing them. 

“Well if he tries again we will take care of him,” Blaise promised in a whisper. The rest of the Slytherins nodded in agreement. 

“Meet us here after dinner. We will go over the strategy for the task.” Draco said. “We don’t have a lot of time left.”

* * *

After Harry’s final class of the day, he dropped off his books in his dorm room and made his way to the Great Hall for dinner. The hall was half full as he stepped through the threshold. He began walking towards the Gryffindor table, but noticed Ron and Hermione staring at him. Something in his heart hardened when he saw the way they were looking at him, like he was a fallen angel. 

He then looked over to the Slytherin table and saw that Draco, Theo, Blaise, and Castor were already present. He steeled himself as he stood tall and glided over to their table. They looked up as he approached, each of them maintaining neutral expressions. 

“Do you mind if I sit here?” He asked in a polite tone. 

Draco’s eyebrows went up, “Not at all Potter. Have a seat.” Blaise and Draco moved apart to make room for him.

The Great Hall went silent as he sat down at the Slytherin table. Harry could practically feel Dumbledore’s gaze weighing on him, but he ignored it and began filling his plate with food. 

“Very bold Potter,” Blaise whispered without looking at him. “I’m not sure if it was the right thing to do. Dumbledore is certainly questioning your loyalty now.” 

“I don’t care,” Harry responded calmly. “I am sick of being their pet. I am not going to sit alone at the Gryffindor table forever.” 

Castor sighed, “Well he  _ is  _ a Gryffindor afterall. We can’t expect him to act like a Slytherin all the time.” 

Draco smirked, “Well you have made your statement Potter. Welcome to Slytherin. There is no going back now.” 

“No there isn’t,” Harry agreed. He would never be able to look at Ron and Hermione the same way again. They would never again be friends. It hurt, but Harry knew it was for the best. He simply couldn’t trust them to be there for him when he needed them. He deserved better than that. 

Harry took a deep breath and forced the sadness from his mind. It was time to move on. 

A short while later, Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass joined them. Pansy sat down, her gaze never once leaving Harry. “Well well well,” she said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting this.” 

“Harry Potter dining with the snakes,” Daphne added. “How interesting.”

Harry gave them each a small smile. Pansy reached over and touched his hair, “Oh this won’t do,” she said. “If he’s going to be one of us we are going to have to take care of this hair.” 

“He needs new clothing as well,” Daphne added as her eyes ran up and down his form. “He could do so much better.” 

Harry frowned in confusion and looked over to Draco as Pansy continued to try and fix his hair. Draco just shrugged, “Better get used to it. They won’t let it go.” 

“He’s right,” Castor said with a smirk. “You could say they are the couturiers of Slytherin House.” 

“Oh great,” Harry murmured. 

“Don’t worry. You will look and feel like a new wizard once we are done with you,” Pansy assured him. 

For some reason Harry found that idea appealing. He was trying to move on, wasn’t he? He turned to Pansy and smiled. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

This pleased Pansy greatly, and she returned his smile. “We will take good care of you Potter, don’t worry.” 

“Call me Harry, please.” He said as he looked around at the Slytherins.

Draco smiled and picked up his glass of pumpkin juice. “Alright then Harry. I propose a toast, to Hogwarts’ champion.” 

The Slytherins joined Draco in raising their glasses. Blaise smirked as he added, “To the winner of the Triwizard Cup.” 

Harry felt emotion swell up inside of him. He picked up his glass, “To new friends,” he said quietly. 

The Slytherins all smiled as they clinked their glasses together.

* * *

After dinner Harry followed the Slytherins down into the dungeons. He recognized the long stretch of corridor that led to the Slytherin common room from his second year, though he would never tell the Slytherins that. 

They stopped as they reached an empty wall. Draco whispered, “Silver,” and the stone wall opened, revealing the Slytherin common room. 

Despite having been in the Slytherin common room once before, Harry was still surprised by the grand interior. While the Gryffindor common room was cluttered and cozy, the Slytherin common room was grand and expansive. It had rough stone walls, which made it look like an underground cave. Green lamps hung from the ceiling, and green light filtered in through the windows that separated them from the Black Lake. 

Students were spread about studying on black and green leather sofas. They all looked up when they noticed who had entered the common room. Some looked angry, while others simply turned back to their work and conversations. 

Draco and the others ignored all of them and continued on through the common room and down a set of stone stairs. At the bottom of the stairs was a long corridor of doors. Draco approached the 7th door and touched his wand to the handle. The door swung open and their group went inside. 

Harry found himself in a medium sized room with black leather sofas, green lamps, and a roaring fireplace. There were bookshelves lining the walls and several desks spread throughout the room. A drinks cart was located in the corner of the room. It contained chilled water, a kettle for tea, and even a bottle of wine. There was also a small potions workspace separated from the rest of the room by a thick layer of glass. 

“What is this?” Harry asked with a confused frown. The Gryffindor common rooms didn’t have anything like this. 

“Each year gets their own study room in addition to the main common room,” Theo explained. “This is the fourth year study room. All of the books you see are books pertaining to fourth year class material. It is a quiet area for us to work together on our assignments and practice magic.” 

“Gryffindor doesn’t have anything like this,” He said honestly. 

“You’re in a tower,” Daphne said with a shrug. “There is a lot of unused space down here in the dungeons so we take advantage of it. We even have our own bedrooms.” 

“Really?” Harry asked with wide eyes. He would kill for his own bedroom. His own space away from the cold eyes of Ron Weasley. 

“You’re welcome to come here whenever you would like Harry,” Draco pointed out. “You know the password now and one of us will keep you informed whenever it changes. There are even extra bedrooms if you occasionally need to escape Gryffindor.” 

Harry wasn’t sure how to respond. It all sounded too good to be true. 

“You are welcome here Harry,” Draco emphasized again as he settled onto one of the sofas. Harry just nodded and sat across from him. 

Castor dropped an ancient looking brown leather book on the table between them. It landed with a loud thud, causing Blaise to hiss, “Be careful with the books.” 

Castor rolled his eyes and flipped to a tattered page in the book. Draco pointed to the page, “This is how you are going to beat the hidebehind.” 

Harry bent over the book and read, 

_ ‘Heat Detection’ _

“The hidebehind is almost impossible to see, especially at night. They are skilled contortionists and can become invisible at will.” Draco explained. “You can’t fight what you can’t see, so this is our solution.” 

Harry nodded, understanding Draco’s reasoning. If he could see the monster he could potentially fight it. 

“There is only one problem,” Castor added as he sat beside Harry. “This spell, while not dangerous, is not exactly  _ legal.”  _

Harry suddenly felt uncomfortable. “It’s Dark?” 

“Yes it is, but there is a lot you don’t know about Dark Magic Harry. Like this spell here, Dark Magic isn’t all bad.” 

“Just like Light Magic isn’t all good,” Theo chimed in. “You can kill someone with a light spell or a dark spell. At the end of the day, what matters is the intent of the witch or wizard.” 

“If that is the case, then why is Dark Magic illegal?” Harry asked, feeling tense. 

“Because Dark Magic is more powerful than Light Magic. It is old and wild. There was a time when it was the only magic in existence.” 

“Also, only magically powerful witches and wizards are capable of practicing Dark Magic,” Blaise added. “Some exceptionally powerful witches and wizards even have an affinity for Dark Magic. The ministry made Dark Magic illegal because they couldn’t control it. For many of them it was simply beyond their reach.” 

Draco nodded, “It is driven by emotions, while Light Magic is only driven by the witch or wizard’s magic. Emotions are extremely powerful motivators. Those who cannot control their emotions have a very hard time practicing Dark Magic. That is why it was banned. Witches and wizards can get lost in the magic if they are unable to control themselves.” 

Harry nodded in understanding, but he was still hesitant to trust what they were telling him. Everyone he had ever known hated Dark Magic and despised its existence. It was the reason behind the last war. The war that killed his parents. He couldn’t just forget that. 

“We can give you some history books on Dark Magic if you would like to read for yourself,” Draco suggested. “You can take some time to form your own opinions. We won’t sit here and tell you how to think Harry. We are not Dumbledore.” 

Harry took a deep breath and nodded. There was nothing wrong with reading history books, right? 

“Okay, I will read the history books. I need to know more about it, considering who I am.” 

“Good choice,” Draco murmured as he wandered over to the bookshelves to find the books. 

Blasie pointed to the book spread out on the table. “How do you feel about trying this spell Harry? You don’t have a lot of time left before the task.” 

“But how would I even use it if it is illegal? The judges would know, wouldn’t they?” 

“Perhaps not,” Blaise replied with a shake of his head. “Not if you can cast it nonverbally. They would never even know you cast a spell in the first place. However, this is a difficult spell. If you want to use it during the task, you need to begin practicing now. We can’t wait until you have read all of the history books. If you aren’t ready that is fine, we will try to think of some other way, this was the best option we could find.” 

Harry read over the spell more closely. It didn’t appear to be dangerous. Plus it would be incredibly useful during the task. Besides, he wasn’t even supposed to be in the tournament. He was a fourteen year old wizard who wasn’t nearly qualified enough to participate. If this spell helped keep him alive, he would use it. 

“Okay,” he finally agreed after a long while. “I will practice this spell, but that’s it. No more Dark Magic.” His voice was stern as he conveyed the last part.

“Of course,” Blaise assured him as he stood from the sofa. “Let’s get started.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys! Please leave feedback. I always appreciate hearing what you guys think.


	4. Perspective

“Bloody hell,” Harry groaned as he flopped down onto the sofa. He was exhausted. 

They had been training non stop for the last week. Every day after class Harry would make his way down to the Slytherin common room where he would train with Draco, Blaise, Theo, and Castor. Pansy and Daphne also practiced with him occasionally when they weren’t too busy planning out his new wardrobe. 

Pansy was excellent in transfiguration while Daphne was a skilled duelist. He looked forward to any opportunity to duel with Daphne. She was shorter than Pansy so she was small and fast, making her a difficult target to hit. 

Castor was the real challenge though. Out of everyone in the group he was the most dangerous opponent to face in a duel. He was as quick and deadly as a cobra. He knew more spells than anyone else, and Harry doubted many other students in Hogwarts could beat him, even the older years. 

“Are you alright there Harry?” Castor asked from where he stood smirking in the corner. 

Harry just grunted, unable to form complete sentences. 

“Well at least you are making good progress,” Draco pointed out. “You might actually make it more than 5 minutes thanks to us.” 

Harry picked up a pillow off the sofa and threw it at him. Draco dodged it with a smile, “Oh you must have strength to practice the spell again if you can throw a pillow.” 

Harry just groaned loudly and turned over so he was face down on the sofa. “I’m never picking up my wand again.” 

Blaise walked over to the drink cart and filled a glass of water before bringing it to him. Harry sent him a grateful look and swallowed the whole glass in a few short seconds. 

Despite his exhaustion, their training was beginning to pay off. He had mastered the heat detection spell within three days, and now they were focusing on spells that would help him restrain the hidebehind. 

The heat detection spell was a strange spell. It altered the way he saw the world. Instead of seeing the black color of student's robes, he saw a bright red spot where their hearts were located. He saw their body heat at varying levels of intensity. Red for very hot, orange and yellow for hot, green and light blue for warm or cool, and purple and dark blue for cold. It not only allowed him to see through objects such as walls. It also showed him exactly which parts of their body were the most vulnerable. He was hoping it would help him spot the hidebehinds weaknesses during the task. 

After a few days of practice, he not only gained the ability to use heat detection, he also gained the ability to cast it nonverbally. Dumbledore and the others would have no idea he was using a Dark spell. 

Harry was starting to feel better about the first task. He was still terrified, but he knew his chances were better if he could see the hidebehind and target its weaknesses. He felt more confident in his abilities with every passing day. He was becoming stronger and faster. He was becoming a better wizard. 

He couldn't remember the last time he felt so confident.

Whenever he looked at the Slytherins situated throughout the room, he found himself wondering how they, of all people, were the ones to bring out this side of him. 

He never would have expected it, but he wouldn't have changed it for the world. 

Ever since Harry began publicly spending time with the Slytherins, the other Hogwarts students whispered whenever they saw him. Harry often heard conversations about how he was turning Dark.

The constant staring from Dumbledore was the worst part of it all. It took everything he had to ignore the steady stream of worried expressions sent in his direction. Harry was certain Dumbledore would ask him to meet within the coming weeks if Harry continued spending time with the Slytherins. 

Sometimes Harry felt guilty about spending time with the group who used to bully his friends, but then he saw the way the Slytherins were treated by the rest of the school, and he no longer cared. Gryffindors were downright vicious, and the Hufflepuffs weren’t much better. The Ravenclaws were the only house not actively trying to bring about Slytherin’s demise.

* * *

After resting for awhile, the Slytherins decided they wanted to spend the rest of their evening relaxing by the Black Lake. They invited Harry to join them and he agreed. It was certainly better than spending the night hiding behind the curtains of his bed in Gryffindor tower. 

They were soon lounging in the sun on blankets and pillows conjured from blades of grass. 

Castor practiced the wand movements for a new spell, while Daphne and Pansy worked on their potions essays. Draco laid on his back with his eyes closed. Theo rested his head on Pansy's lap with a book held open against his chest, and Blaise stood nearby, picking up pebbles and throwing them into the lake. 

Harry dug inside his backpack for something to do. He was sure he needed to finish an essay for transfiguration, but before he could find it he came across a book given to him by the Slytherins several days prior. _ An Introduction to the Dark Arts. _

Harry had been avoiding the book. He was just too nervous to read it. His parents died fighting against Dark magic users after all. He felt guilty even carrying it in his backpack.

Harry gently touched the book's cover, and suddenly the faces of Ron and Hermione flashed through his head. He imagined their looks of disgust as they realized he was reading a book about Dark magic. Their cold expressions hardened his heart. Part of him was itching to become the monster they all imagined him to be. 

Harry quickly realized his desire to rebel was stronger than his guilt. 

He took _ An Introduction to the Dark Arts _out of his backpack and flipped to the front page. Before he could begin reading, Blaise sat next to him and took out his wand. Blaise pointed his wand at the book cover and whispered words too quietly for Harry to hear. 

"To disguise the book," Blaise explained. "They would expel you if they found out."

Harry turned the book over to see the title had changed from _ An Introduction to the Dark Arts _ to _ Dueling for Beginners. _

"Thanks Blaise," Harry replied honestly, feeling more at ease. "Would you teach me that spell later?" 

"I would be happy to," Blaise said with a smirk. 

With that Blaise returned to the lake and Harry started to read. 

**An Introduction to the Dark Arts**

_ The Dark Arts are widely misunderstood amongst the modern day magical community. Efforts by 'Light' witches and wizards have widely erased Dark Magic from society… _

Harry spent the next hour completely absorbed in the book. He couldn't put it down. 

The book confirmed everything the Slytherins had told him earlier. 

According to the first few chapters, there was once a time when magic wasn't labeled. There was no such thing as 'Dark' or 'Light' magic. There was only magic. Certain spells required the use of one's emotions, which made the spells more volatile and difficult to control. Only powerful magic users with a high level of self control were able to cast such spells. Other spells only used the magic from a witch or wizard's magical core. After the Ministry For Magic was established, modern day 'Light' witches and wizards stigmatized Dark Magic because it was inaccessible to them. They couldn't control it, and so they made it illegal. Dark Magic was viewed as a threat from that day forward. After that, Dark witches and wizards felt united by the 'Dark' label, and continued using it for the centuries to come.

Generally, Dark witches and wizards were more powerful than Light witches and wizards. However, that didn't mean Light magical users were weak. Light spells were simply driven by the user's magic. A powerful witch or wizard could produce powerful light spells. A wizard like Dumbledore could easily win against any average Dark Magic user. 

Harry understood why Dark Magic was appealing to some, but he couldn't help but frown as he continued reading. 

_ If Dark witches and wizards are not careful, they can become lost in their magic. Eventually it can become difficult to differentiate between emotions used to cast spells, and emotions felt in the real world. For example, negative emotions are often used to cast attack spells. Over time, a Dark Magic user can become overwhelmed by the negative emotions. When this happens, it can be difficult for the magical user to gain control again. However, Dark Magical users are usually taught how to control their emotions from birth, so this phenomenon is somewhat uncommon. _

Harry closed the book and hugged it against his chest as he stared at the clouds above him. It was all so… _ complicated. _He had so many questions. 

"Hey Draco?" Harry asked awkwardly as he sat up. 

Draco kept his eyes closed. "Yes Harry?" 

"What was the purpose of the war?" 

Draco opened his eyes at his question. He sat up and picked up a pillow to hold in his lap.

"That's hard to explain, but basically Dark witches and wizards were sick of hiding."

"And Voldemort… he wanted to liberate Dark Magic?" Harry asked carefully. 

"Yes that's what he wanted," Draco nodded. 

"Then why kill innocents? Why start a war? Why kill my parents?" 

Draco shook his head, "As far as I know the Dark Lord never ordered the killing of innocent people. That idea was conjured by the media. As for the war, Dark witches and wizards had been trying for centuries to lift the bans. Nothing else worked, so war seemed like the only option."

Harry tightened his fingers around the book. "And my parents?" 

"I don't know. I have no idea why they were killed, but I do know they were two of Dumbledore’s most powerful soldiers."

"What about me?" Harry asked, his voice tight. "Why try to kill a baby?" 

"No one knows what happened Harry," Pansy jumped in. She moved closer to him and reached out to hold his hand. 

"How do you know he even attacked you?" Castor asked. 

Harry stopped mid-rant. _ How did he know? _

That's what everyone had always told him. That's what Hagrid had said. That's what all the books said. 

But… no one else was there that night except for Harry, his parents, and Voldemort himself. How could he be sure the stories were true?

Of course he remembered occasional details from that October night, especially when dementors were near. Flashes of green. A hooded figure. Screaming.

However, he didn't have a complete picture of what happened that night. He didn't remember the entire sequence of events that took place. 

He had a scar, but other than that, what proof was there? 

Harry knew better than anyone how stories could be twisted. He had been dealing with the _ Daily Prophet _since his name was pulled out of the goblet of fire. 

Harry released his grip on the book and looked at Pansy. "I… I don't know."

Pansy squeezed his hand gently. "Harry it's okay. Listen, we aren't trying to change you or your values. We are just trying to get you to see things from a different perspective." 

Harry let out a loud sigh. He was extremely confused after taking in so much information, but he did know one thing. He needed to know more. 


	5. Killer Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First task, Part 1 of 2

**Chapter 5: Killer Pt.1**

"Hey Harry!" 

Harry was startled as Pansy and Daphne burst into the fourth year study room. "What? What's wrong?" 

"Nothing! We just have great news." Daphne exclaimed with a big smile. 

"Your new wardrobe arrived today!" Added Pansy. 

They held out a large box to him, and he took it carefully. "My new wardrobe?" 

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Did you think we were kidding?" 

"I mean… kind of?" 

"They never joke about such things," Blaise said with a dramatic sigh. 

Harry stared down at the box in awe. 

"Well go on," said Daphne. "Open it."

Harry picked it up and carried it over to one of the study tables. He used a  _ diffindo  _ to slice open the box before he lifted the lid. 

The box was spelled to be larger on the inside than on the outside, and Harry felt overwhelmed by everything he found within. Pansy and Daphne pointed out that there were cashmere jumpers, wool trousers, leather shoes, dragon hide boots, day robes, silk and linen dress shirts, two wool coats, traveling cloaks, dragon hide gloves, and even new dress robes. 

Harry removed the dress robes from the box. They were beautifully made out of black and purple fabric. Harry had no idea what the fabric was, but it felt soft and sturdy in his hands. He was in awe of the way the color of the robes shifted. Overall, the robes looked black, but the fabric glinted a deep purple when exposed to the light. 

Harry gently placed the robes back in the box with the rest of his new clothing. "I… I don't even know what to say. This is unbelievable. It must have cost a fortune."

"It's nothing Harry," Pansy insisted with a smile. "You are one of us now so you have to look the part." 

"I will pay you back for this," Harry started to say, but Daphne cut him off with a shake of her head. 

"No absolutely not. This is a gift from all of us. Just promise you will put it to good use? "

Harry swallowed with some difficulty. "Thank you. This is the best gift anyone has ever given me. I promise I will wear everything."

Pansy and Daphne shared bright smiles as Daphne held out another, smaller, package to him. 

"What's this?" 

"It's for the task tomorrow," She explained. "Your uniform. All of the champions are required to wear them, but we altered yours a little."

Harry opened the package to find a black dueling tunic made of thick, ribbed fabric. A dark purple raven was embroidered into the left shoulder, and one of its wings stretched down the left half of the chest. 

It was designed in a way that would both protect him and allow him easy movement. It's high collar would help protect his neck, and it's tight fit would prevent him from accidentally getting stuck on branches. 

The uniform also came with tight fitting black dragonhide pants, and sturdy black dragonhide boots. It was stunning. 

Pansy and Daphne each looked like they were about to burst. 

"Please try it on," they asked together. 

Harry smiled brightly and slipped into the study room's small bathroom to change. 

He exited a moment later wearing the new uniform. It fit like a glove. 

Pansy motioned for him to spin, and he did with a dramatic flourish. 

Daphne nodded, "Perfect. It was originally made of Gryffindor colors with a lion on the shoulder instead of the raven, but I think this suits you better." 

Harry suddenly felt a lump in his throat. He had no desire to represent the house that rejected him when he needed them most. Daphne and Pansy had found a way for him to represent himself, and he would always be eternally grateful for that. 

The wand weighing ceremony earlier in the week had left him in a terrible mood, especially after the interview with Rita Skeeter. People like Skeeter were trying to take away his voice. With this new uniform, he could send a message to those who thought they could break him. 

"Thank you so much," he said, not taking his eyes off of his reflection. "Where did you get the idea for the raven?"

"From the pendant you always wear," Pansy said. 

"There is just one more thing," Daphne said as she took a blood red jar out of her pocket. She held it out for him to see, and he read  _ LeBlanc  _ on the front. 

"It's a hair potion from France," She explained. "It is used by many wizards from old families."

Harry looked at the hair potion doubtfully. "I don't know guys, my hair tends to have a mind of its own."

Pansy rolled her eyes and took the jar from Daphne. "We will see about that."

Ten minutes later they had turned his hair from a wild mess, into (in Pansy's words), a  _ 'just-rolled-out-of-bed'  _ sexy hair style. 

Harry didn't even recognize himself as he stood in front of the full sized mirror. The black uniform showed off his athletic build, while his new hair style made his green eyes shine. 

Harry stood taller as he looked himself over. He looked like a Slytherin… and he looked good. 

Castor looked up from his potions essay and smirked. "Careful Pansy, or else he might become more vain than Draco and Blaise."

Draco and Blaise each cast stinging hexes in Castor's direction, which he easily deflected.

"Careful Castor," warned Draco. "Or else you might wake up with a new makeover one of these mornings…"

"You wouldn't."

"I would, actually," replied Draco with a gleeful smile. 

Blaise rolled his eyes as the two began bickering back and forth. He walked over to Harry and held out an item he had been hiding behind his back. 

"I have my own gift for you," he said. He held it out, and Harry carefully took the wand holster from Blaise. 

It was beautifully crafted from black dragonhide. Harry dusted his fingers over the thin snake carved into the length of the holster, savoring the feel of the scales underneath his fingertips. 

It was overwhelming. He had never received so many gifts before. 

Green eyes met dark brown as Harry looked up. "Thank you," he whispered sincerely. 

"Your welcome," Blaise smiled. "Would you like me to help you put it on?" 

Harry held it out to Blaise, and he helped him strap it to the inside of his right forearm. 

"Where is your wand?" asked Blaise. 

Harry grabbed it from a nearby study table and slid it into the holster. It fit perfectly.

"Thank you," he repeated with a smile. 

* * *

The next morning Harry woke up early and left the Gryffindor tower to join his friends in Slytherin dorms. 

To make Daphne and Pansy happy, he styled his hair the way they had showed him the previous night. He then decided to wear a pair of black trousers, a white dress shirt, and a navy blue robe with his new dragonhide boots. 

Luckily for him, the task was set to take place at 11:00 PM so classes were canceled for the day. He would have the entire day to mentally prepare for the challenge ahead. 

He met the Slytherins in front of the large fireplace in the main common room. They were each enjoying cups of tea and coffee. 

Daphne and Pansy jumped up when they saw him and inspected his look. They circled him a few times before Daphne said, "Well done Mr. Potter. I must say I'm very proud."

Harry grinned, and sat down next to them on one of the black leather sofas. He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned back comfortably. 

Blaise, Theo, and Castor were all conversing quietly with one another, but Draco was clutching his coffee, looking as if he wanted to sink into the sofa and never move again. 

"Don't mind him," explained Pansy. "He's not a morning person."

"I can tell."

"How are you feeling Harry?" Asked Theo. 

Harry shrugged. "I don't know honestly." He didn't feel nervous, but he was sure that would change later on in the day.

"You're going to win Harry, don't worry." 

"He's right," said Castor. "Why don't we go to breakfast? I'm starving and Harry needs to keep his energy up."

Everyone agreed, even Draco who could barely string together a sentence. 

They made their way to the Great Hall, and Harry was on the receiving end of many harsh stares as they walked. By the time they reached the Slytherin table he was in a truly foul mood. 

He sat down and glared at his plate of eggs and toast. He  _ would  _ win tonight, he decided. Just to spite them all. He hated them. 

"Harry."

He looked up and saw Blaise eyeing him with concern. "You need to eat."

Harry straightened his posture and nodded. He picked up his fork and began eating slowly. As he ate, he let the anger burn inside of him. He would use it as fuel in the coming task. 

As he took his last bite of toast, the delivery owls flew into the hall. He looked up and saw a spot of black among the various brown and white forms. 

Harry's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized it. It was the raven who brought him the pendant and journal. 

It swooped down and landed on the table in front of him. It dropped a small package on his plate before stealing a piece of bacon and flying away. 

He picked up the package and looked at it closely, trying to decide if he should open it in front of the Slytherins. After a moment of hesitation, he tore the package open. 

Inside he found a small vial of a black potion, and a note written in familiar handwriting which stated, 

_ Take this eyesight correction potion before the task. Good luck.  _

The sight of the potion seemed to snap Draco out of his daze. "Wow," he breathed. "Is that what I think it is?" 

"An eyesight correction potion?" asked Harry, holding it out to him. 

Draco gently took the vial from Harry with wide eyes and looked it over. "It looks like it. Do you have any idea how expensive this is? Even for a Malfoy?" 

Harry took back the vial, "Really?" 

"It permanently corrects your eyesight. Permanent potions cost a fortune."

Harry stared at the potion in awe. He was now more curious than ever who the mystery writer was. "How long does it take to start working?" 

Draco shrugged, "It should work right away. Who sent it to you?" 

"A friend," Harry replied vaguely. He looked at the potion for another moment before removing the cork from the vial and swallowing the contents. It tasted absolutely vile, but within a few minutes he noticed his vision going blurry. 

He removed his glasses, and suddenly the world was crystal clear. 

Harry realized his glasses prescription must have been out of date if he was experiencing such a stark contrast in clarity. He would have to thank the Dursleys for that later. 

"How is it?" Asked Draco with an eager expression. 

Harry looked across the table into Draco's dark grey eyes. He had never noticed the black flecks in them before. "Amazing," he replied with a smile. 

Harry had always hated his glasses, especially while playing quidditch. They made him vulnerable to bludgers. 

Now that vulnerability was gone. 

"I think he's ready to face the hidebehind," Blaise smirked. "Harry Potter is going to be Hogwart's champion."


	6. Killer Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A skinny creature resembling a bear came out from behind a tree and stood near the edge of the arena on two long and skinny back legs. The creature’s limbs were thin like tree branches and Harry could see its bony ribs. The whole thing looked almost like a living skeleton. Its silvery hair, long sharp teeth, and knife-like claws glinted in the torchlight. Its jet black eyes were angry as they darted around. The creature dug its claws deep inside of a nearby tree, and Harry realized it must be at least 12 feet tall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post two chapters this week because I finished this chapter early. I hope you all enjoy! Please leave feedback and kudos!

_ **Chapter 6: Killer Pt. 2** _

** _Previously:_ **

_ "How is it?" Asked Draco with an eager expression. _

_ Harry looked across the table into Draco's dark grey eyes. He had never noticed the black flecks in them before. "Amazing," he replied with a smile. _

_ Harry had always hated his glasses, especially while playing quidditch. They made him vulnerable to bludgers. _

_ Now that vulnerability was gone. _

_ "I think he's ready to face the hidebehind," Blaise smirked. "Harry Potter is going to be Hogwart's champion." _

Hours later Harry was pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace in the main Slytherin common room. The task was less than two hours away now, and the anxiety had set in. He was still determined to win, but the haunting figure of the hidebehind was constantly flashing through his mind. 

He would have to face the hideous beast soon. 

Harry took a deep breath and tried to calm his thoughts. It took several more deep breaths before he felt the tension leaving his body. 

He would win this. He wouldn't let them witness him fail. 

"Hey Harry," Blaise said gently. He held out his uniform to him. "It's time to get ready for the task."

Harry sighed deeply and nodded. "Okay."

He took the uniform from Blaise and went into the bathroom to change. He slowly pulled on the uniform and maintained a controlled breathing pattern. He needed to stay calm now more than ever. 

After strapping the holster to his arm, he looked at his reflection in the bathroom's full length mirror. He stood tall and set his shoulders. Without his glasses, he looked every inch the Potter heir. He looked strong and confident. He looked like someone who was ready to fight. 

He felt ready. 

Harry left the bathroom to find the Slytherins waiting for him. Somehow, they had all changed into black robes while he was away. His mood improved slightly when he realized they were also wearing purple scarves with a single black raven stitched into the fabric. They were representing him tonight. 

He smirked, "I'm ready."

The path to the forbidden forest was lit by hundreds of torches. They lined the path and indicated which way they were supposed to go. 

Students were already making their way to the arena, and many of them turned to stare at Harry as they went. Many of them were carrying black and yellow signs that said _ "Cedric Diggory." _

He ignored them and kept his face blank as he led the way. He looked straight ahead and focused on the task at hand. 

Soon enough they reached the forest and the stars disappeared behind a thick canopy of trees. The torches created shadows that danced eerily across the tree trunks

He found it a little unsettling. He didn't exactly have positive memories of the forbidden forest. 

Despite the creepy atmosphere, the students all appeared to be in a good mood. They were smiling and laughing as they walked down the path. 

Harry took another deep breath as the glass area came into view. To the left of the arena was a large canvas tent with a sign that read, '_ Champions Tent'. _

Harry stopped outside of the tent and turned to the Slytherins. 

"Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do this without all of you."

Pansy enveloped Harry in a tight hug. "You can do this," she whispered in his ear. 

He hugged her back for a moment before releasing her. The rest of the Slytherins said their goodbyes before making their way towards the viewing platforms. 

As they left, he heard them yelling, "Harry Potter is Hogwart's champion!" 

"Five galleons for a Harry Potter scarf!" 

"Support Harry Potter! Hogwart's true champion!" 

Harry smiled as the Weasley twins tossed 10 galleons at Draco for two scarves. They wrapped the scarves around their necks and sent a wink in Harry's direction before running off with the rest of the students. 

He smiled and shook his head. Maybe he did have some supporters in Gryffindor. 

Neville and Luna also bought scarves from the Slytherins. Luna noticed Harry watching them, so she skipped over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. 

"Good luck Harry Potter. Don't be afraid to do what's necessary."

"I won't be, I promise," he said. 

Luna patted the top of his head before skipping away.

After watching her go, Harry worked up the courage to enter the champions tent. 

Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour were already present, each of them brooding in different corners of the tent. They both wore similar uniforms to Harry, except Krum's was blood red with a dragon stitched into the shoulder, and Delacour's uniform was light blue with a unicorn. 

There were several sofas situated throughout the space, so Harry picked one at random and sat down. 

Cedric Diggory entered the tent a short while later wearing a yellow and black Hufflepuff style uniform. Harry noticed Cedric looked upset about something, but his face went blank when they made eye contact a moment later. Cedric looked away and found his own sofa far away from him. 

Harry couldn't help but wonder what he had done to upset him. Before he could put too much thought into it, Barty Crouch, Dumbledore, Bagman, and the other headmasters entered the tent. 

Crouch waved them over, "Champions, come, come. We don't have much time." 

Harry steeled himself and joined the other champions in a circle around Crouch. He could feel Dumbledore's eyes on him, but he ignored the sensation and focused on Crouch. 

Crouch eyed him curiously, "Mr. Potter, you should be representing Gryffindor."

"Actually Mr. Crouch, I've decided to represent myself instead of Gryffindor. It didn't seem appropriate for Hogwarts to have two champions." Harry sent him the most sincere look he could manage. He honestly didn't care whether or not Hogwarts had two champions, he just didn't want to be associated with Gryffindor. 

Crouch checked his watch and shook his head, "Alright champions." He removed a canvas pouch from the inside of his robes. "It is time to decide the order in which you will enter the challenge. Ladies first."

Fleur removed a black chip with the number two printed on the front. Krum chose next and ended up with the 1st chip. Cedric ended up with the 3rd position, which left the 4th chip for Harry. 

He was relieved he didn't have to face the task first, but he was also dreading the long wait. Part of him just wanted to get it over with. 

He clutched his chip in his hand as Crouch began explaining the task. 

"Alright champions. In this task, you will find yourself facing a feral beast from the forests of America. Now, this beast is a highly dangerous creature so you must exercise extreme caution." Crouch made eye contact with each of them. "You each will be facing a hidebehind. Your goal in this task is to restrain the creature and avoid injury. The champion who manages to do so in the quickest and most creative way will gain more points. If you are injured, or if you fail to restrain the hidebehind, you will lose points."

None of this was a surprise to Harry, and none of the other contestants appeared to be surprised either. Draco and Blaise had been right, everyone already knew. If it weren't for them, he would have been left in the dark. 

Dumbledore spoke up, "At the sound of the canon you will enter the arena, starting with Mr. Krum…"

They all jumped as the canon fired above them. Mr. Filch shrugged apologetically at Dumbledore, who in turn shook his head. "Right then, Mr. Krum, right this way." He gestured towards an opening near the opposite side of the tent. With encouragement from Headmaster Karkaroff, Krum removed his wand from the holster on his inner arm, and stalked purposefully in that direction. 

The headmasters left the tent to judge the task, leaving Harry, Fleur, and Cedric alone. Harry ignored the other two and returned to his place on the sofa. He closed his eyes and concentrated on staying calm. 

He listened to the crowd outside gasp and shout every so often. After about 10 minutes there was a thunderous applause, and Harry realized Krum must have been successful. 

Fleur waited by the entrance to the arena looking determined. Soon enough the canon fired again and she entered the arena, leaving Cedric and Harry alone. 

He turned his head and noticed Cedric looking at him curiously. Harry raised an eyebrow, "Can I help you?" 

Cedric's handsome face relaxed into an easy-going smile. "No. I was simply trying to figure you out."

"Figure me out?" 

"Yes," Cedric replied as he crossed one leg casually over the other. "The rogue Gryffindor. You're not what I expected you to be."

Harry maintained a blank expression. "And what does that mean?" 

"It doesn't mean anything," Cedric insisted. 

The crowd roared outside the tent and Cedric stood. He moved to stand near the exit, but turned around just as the canon fired above them. 

"Nice uniform Harry. " Cedric said with a slightly threatening smile, before turning back towards the exit and disappearing. 

Harry frowned, not understanding what the interaction meant. He met Cedric before during the quidditch world cup over the summer, but they hadn't really spoken. He knew very little about the Hufflepuff. 

Harry shook his head and decided Cedric was simply trying to throw him off before the task. He was almost certain that Cedric was upset about Harry participating in the tournament. Cedric was meant to be Hogwart's only champion, but then Harry came along and stole the show. 

Harry cleared his mind and listened to the sounds of the crowd outside. He suddenly heard horrified gasps, and he tightened his hand into a fist. Something must have happened. 

After a moment of silence there was a deafening roar from the Hogwarts students. Cedric must have succeeded. 

Harry had difficulty swallowing. Now it was his turn. 

He stood and walked to the exit, as he flicked his wrist and sent his wand into his right hand. 

He was ready. 

The cannon fired above him and Harry stepped into darkness. 

Harry discreetly pointed his wand towards his head and repeated the heat vision incantation in his mind. Immediately the world around him was full of color. It took him a moment to adjust, but Harry soon realized he was standing on a raised wooden platform. 

He could see the dark blue outlines of the trees and bushes around him. He could also see the edge of the arena, and the crowds of red and orange students sitting just on the other side of the glass. 

Harry searched the arena in front of him, but he couldn't find the hidebehind. He jumped off the platform and landed as quietly as he could on the forest floor. He took several steps forward when the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. 

Harry spun around and looked up. It was there, waiting in a tree far above the platform. Its red and orange form contrasted starkly with the surrounding dark blues and purples. 

His eyes widened and he scrambled to the side as the creature jumped from its perch and silently landed where he had been only seconds before. He heard gasps from the crowd outside. 

The hidebehind stalked towards him. Harry spun and hissed, _ "Bombarda." _

The blasting spell missed the hidebehind by a fraction of an inch as the creature contorted its torso to avoid the spell. It lashed out with one of its long arms and Harry ducked to avoid it. The hidebehind's claws sunk deep into a tree beside him instead. 

Harry ran. 

He knew it probably wasn't the smartest decision to turn his back on the monster, but he needed to put distance between them as quickly as possible. Otherwise, those claws would end up ripping him to shreds. 

Harry ran as fast as he could across the arena. He couldn't hear anything behind him, but he knew hidebehinds were particularly good at being quiet. 

He soon found himself standing on the shore of a pond at the center of the arena. There were small stones sticking ever so slightly out of the water, so he used his quidditch reflexes to hop across them until he reached the center of the pond. 

Harry turned around to find the creature standing near the edge of the pond, watching him with beady eyes. He could see the creature's heart beating slowly in its chest, as if it hadn't taken any effort to chase him across the arena. 

He gasped for breath as he considered his options. "Come on," he whispered to himself, "think."

Harry knew fighting it directly with spells was basically useless. The creature had a strong hide which protected it from many spells. Only overpowered spells were capable of causing damage, and he didn't want to use up all of his energy. Plus, it had the ability to contort its body at will, and it was extremely fast so Harry knew he would have a hard time hitting it. 

The creature stood there, swaying gently back and forth as if it were a tree in the wind and not a 12 foot tall monster. 

Harry clutched his wand as he struggled to maintain his balance on the small stone. He looked down into the water. From what he could see with his heat vision, the pond wasn't that deep, maybe about 6 feet or so. It was too deep for him to stand on the bottom, but it wasn't too deep for the creature. 

Maybe if he could make the creature angry, it would come after him and give him an opening. 

Harry glared at the hidebehind and cast an overpowered _ incendio _ in its direction. Much like before the monster avoided his spell by contorting its body. He cast another overpowered _ incendio _immediately afterwards, and this one partially connected with the hidebehind's shoulder. 

It screeched an inhuman sound and he had to resist the desire to cover his ears. It was a bone chilling cry of pain, and Harry felt a small amount of satisfaction hearing it. 

The hidebehind shook its skeletal body before suddenly disappearing. Harry felt a wave of panic go through him. He knew the hidebehind could become invisible at will, but he had been almost certain the heat vision spell would still allow him to see the creature. It must have a way of hiding its heat signature. 

Harry carefully spun around, searching with his wand held out in front of him. Every part of him was screaming at him to run, but he fought the urge. He knew the second he stepped onto solid ground he would die. 

Harry noticed ripples in the water to his left. He instinctively pointed his wand at the water and shouted "_ Aqua glacio _!" 

The pond froze solid instantly. 

The hidebehind appeared in front of him frozen up to its waist. It was trapped, but Harry wasn't out of its reach. 

The creature swung its razor sharp claws at his chest and Harry fell backwards onto the ice to avoid them. Before the hidebehind had another opportunity to swing at him, Harry hissed, _ "Diffindo!" _

Harry put all the magic he had into the spell and it cracked like a whip as it left his wand. 

He heard horrified screams from some of the students as the hidebehind's head fell to the ice with a loud thud. 

Harry canceled the heat detection spell and saw the blood spreading across the ice from the creature's still upright body. He slipped his wand back into its holster just as the viewing platform exploded with cheers. He could hear the Slytherins chanting _ "Harry! Harry! Harry!" _

Some students were protesting the outcome of the task, though Harry didn't care. He was sure the group was made up of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and he couldn't care less what they thought about him. 

Harry smiled to himself as he tried to catch his breath. 

It was over. 

He succeeded in defeating the beast. Maybe he went a little too far by killing it, but he didn't regret it. After all, no one would ever question his abilities again. It was better if the Hogwarts students feared him. If they feared him, they wouldn't try to take advantage of him. 

Several minutes later Harry was standing in front of the judging panel waiting to hear his score. He chanced a look at Dumbledore's face and found deep disappointment there. Harry suppressed a sneer. Dumbledore had no right to be disappointed in him. Not after the man refused to help him when his name came out of the goblet. Dumbledore hadn't even met with him to ask if he was alright. Harry would never trust Dumbledore again. 

Harry linked his hands behind his back and glared at Dumbledore. He wanted the headmaster to know how angry he was. Dumbledore visually aged in front of him. His blue eyes lost their usual twinkle, and Harry felt wave of satisfaction 

He broke eye contact with Dumbledore and decided he wouldn't entertain the headmaster ever again. 

Barty Crouch stood from his place at the center of the judge's table. 

"Harry Potter. You succeeded in completing the first task. Not only did you avoid injury, you also successfully restrained the hidebehind. Though, let it be said, the final result of the task was less desirable. However, there was not a rule stating that you couldn't defeat the beast in a more… permanent way. Because of this, the creature's death will not impact your overall score."

Harry smiled a little as Crouch continued, 

"We will now tally your score, starting with Madame Maxine. Each judge will give you a score out of 10. Your earned points will be added together to give you a score out of 50 for the first task."

Madam Maxine pointed her wand towards the sky, and the number 10 materialized above her. 

Harry's smile grew slightly. Full points. 

Ludo Bagman winked at him before giving him 10 points. Crouch, looking dour as ever, awarded him 9 points. Karkaroff nodded and awarded him the full 10 points. Harry was surprised by this, but he wasn't about to complain. 

Dumbledore gave him a very long, hard look before pointing his wand towards the sky. The number seven formed above him. 

The reactions were mixed. The Slytherins and Ravenclaws yelled in outrage, while the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs cheered.

Harry, for his part, was absolutely furious. Dumbledore was going to try and ruin his chances of winning the tournament. He almost didn't notice when the temperature around him began to drop. It wasn't until he could see his breath that he realized his magic was out of control. He looked down and saw that the ground was almost solid ice. 

Harry was alarmed by this sudden show of magic. He knew it was extremely rare for magic to manifest itself this way once a witch or wizard was given a wand. 

He took a deep breath to calm his magic. It was a whirlpool underneath his skin, itching to be free. Gradually the temperature returned to normal, and Harry looked up to see the judges watching him. Dumbledore looked alarmed, while the other judges looked curious. 

"Very well Mr. Potter," said Crouch. "Your total score is 46 for the first task. Since Mr. Krum scored 47 points, you are now in second place."

Harry nodded respectfully towards them. "Thank you for your time. I look forward to competing in the next task."

Harry turned to face the students. Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Castor, Daphne, and Theo were already there waiting for him with Luna, Neville, and the twins. Without a word, Harry began walking towards Hogwarts with his friends following closely behind him.

They had a lot to discuss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the world is chaos at this point, but I think times like these really emphasize how important art truly is. Without art, I don't know how any of us would make it through this quarantine. So if any one of you are questioning your ability to create art, I highly recommend that you give it a try. Even if it is just for fun. I hope you are all staying safe while reading this! I appreciate all of you so much.


	7. Music and Fire Whiskey

Harry returned to the Slytherin common room with his friends after leaving the forbidden forest. 

The Weasley twins, Neville, and Luna agreed to join them after some persuading. Harry hadn't spent time with his old friends in months. He missed them greatly and was happy they showed him support during the task. 

Draco suggested they go to his dorm room so that Harry could change back into normal clothes and take a shower. 

"You have a little bit of… blood, on your face Harry," Draco said once the door behind them closed. 

"Oh," Harry said. He looked into the mirror hanging on Draco's wall and noticed the dark red blood starting to dry on his cheek. 

After some encouragement, Luna, the twins, and Neville relaxed a little and joined the Slytherins in Draco's small sitting area while Harry went to shower. 

He spent a long while scrubbing his cheek to remove any trace of the hidebehind's blood. 

He felt his body finally relax as he stood in the shower. It had been a very tense experience, but he managed to come out on top in the end. He only hoped he would be able to do the same in the next task. 

After spending a long time standing underneath the hot water, he dried off and changed into a midnight black robe, black trousers, and a black oxford shirt. He left the robe open, and decided he was too tired to style his hair. He would rather endure Daphne and Pansy's disappointed looks than make the effort tonight. 

Soon enough he exited the bathroom and sat next to Castor on Draco's sofa. 

"Bloody hell Harry, you were brilliant tonight." Fred grinned. "The other champions don't stand a chance against you."

"Yeah mate," George added. "You were brutal out there."

Harry returned their grins, "Thanks guys."

"You followed my advice," Luna noted happily. 

"I always trust your advice Luna."

She nodded, "You're a good friend Harry Potter."

"I don't understand though Harry, why did Dumbledore give you such a low score?" Neville asked with concern. 

Harry sighed. "He doesn't like the fact that I'm hanging out with Slytherins Neville. He doesn't like that I'm not under his control anymore."

Harry was about to say more, but there was a loud knock at the door. Draco opened it to find Miles Bletchly, a Slytherin fifth year standing there. 

"Sorry to interrupt," he said. "We have a surprise for Potter downstairs. I was supposed to come and get you guys."

Harry frowned and looked to Draco, who shrugged. "I have no idea. Let's go and see."

They all followed Bletchly into the common room, where they were met by Slytherins holding drinks. They were each handed glasses of fire whiskey and wine. 

"Wicked," the twins voiced together with identical smirks on their faces. 

"What's with this?" Harry whispered to Castor. 

Castor grinned, "You are about to experience a world famous Slytherin party Mr. Potter."

Cassius Warrington, the fifth year prefect jumped to stand on one of the study tables, "To Harry Potter," He raised his glass of fire whiskey. "He is Hogwart's champion. He may be in second place now, but soon enough he will be the one holding the triwizard cup. To Harry!" 

"To Harry!" the rest of the Slytherin common room chanted together. 

Harry smiled and sipped from his own glass of fire whiskey. He sputtered as the burning liquid ran down his throat. 

Music began to play, and some Slytherins began dancing while others poured more drinks. 

"How did you guys manage to sneak in whiskey?" Harry asked Blaise. 

Blaise clutched his chest dramatically, "Harry my friend, have you forgotten we are Slytherins?" 

"If there is a will, there is a way," Castor added with a wink. He then finished his glass with a flourish and grabbed Daphne to dance. 

The twins wasted no time dragging Neville and a few older Slytherin girls to the dance floor. 

Luna skipped over to Draco and tapped him on the shoulder. Draco turned around and looked at her quizzically. 

"Would you like to dance Draco?" Luna asked with her dreamy eyes. 

Harry smiled as Draco blushed. "Um, yeah sure, " Draco replied as he took Luna's outstretched hand. 

Harry took another sip from his drink. He found he enjoyed it more the second time. It burned less. 

"Hey Harry," Blaise said cautiously. 

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?" 

"I think we should talk about the task. We could wait until tomorrow, but there is something you should know."

"What is it?" Harry asked, feeling concerned. 

Blaise grabbed his hand and dragged him over to an alcove, hidden behind black lace curtains. 

Blaise turned back around to face him. "I think you need to be careful moving forward. I think Cedric is holding a grudge against you, especially now." 

Harry shook his head, "What do you mean 'especially now'?" 

Blaise sighed, "Cedric was badly hurt during his task. That's why he scored the lowest. He managed to trap the hidebehind, but not after it sunk its claws into him."

"How bad was it?" 

"Pretty bad," replied Blaise. "He has a huge gash running down from his left eye to his chest."

"Merlin," Harry breathed. 

Blaise nodded. "I know. And now, not only did you avoid getting hurt. You also killed the damn thing. From what I know about Cedric, he's going to be furious."

"So, do you think he's going to come after me?" 

"No, at least not right now," Blaise said. "I don't think that's his style."

"How do you know so much about him Blaise?" Harry asked with narrowed eyes. "What is he going to do? I deserve to know."

Blaise looked conflicted for a moment. He shook his head and removed his wand to cast privacy spells. "Alright, but you can't tell anyone I told you. Not even the other Slytherins in our group. I'm breaking the code by telling you."

"What code?" 

Blaise sighed and shrugged, "The Dark code. It's mostly a way of living. Like a guide on how to live a fulfilled life. But the code also protects us from those who want to hurt us. It means we keep each other's secrets." 

Harry frowned. "You need to be more specific. I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Harry listen," Blaise said seriously. "Dark witches and wizards are constantly in danger. We have been hunted to the brink of our extinction and there are few of us left. The reason we are still here is because we protect one another. We keep each other's secrets. We don't reveal each other's identities to Light witches and wizards. So I am taking a huge risk by telling you what I'm about to tell you. Alright? I need to know you aren't going to tell anyone."

Harry stared into Blaise's dark brown eyes. He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay I will keep your secret as long as you tell me more someday."

Blaise smiled in relief. "I promise I will once I think you are ready."

"Now tell me about Cedric."

Blaise nodded. "There is this… tournament. An underground dueling tournament that takes place twice a year here at Hogwarts, in the spring and autumn. It's a tournament for dark witches and wizards to compete against one another and practice our skills. It's mostly made up of Slytherins and Ravenclaws, but there are some Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors too. I can't tell you more than that right now, but I can tell you that Cedric competes regularly."

Harry blinked several times. "Cedric is dark?" 

"Yes," Blaise confirmed. "I attend the tournament often, and I have watched and spoken to Cedric enough times that I know how he thinks. He is very competitive and he hates being humiliated." 

Harry felt confused. "Okay, but how is he dark? I thought his father works for the Ministry?" 

"That's true yes. He doesn't get along well with his father. I don't know the whole story, but I do know his family used to be dark several hundred years ago. I guess Cedric found some old books and taught himself. Now he is one of the best duelists in the school. The rest is history." 

"So what do you recommend I do then?" 

"Just be careful," Blaise put a hand on his shoulder. "Especially around Justin Finch-Fletchley and Ernie MacMillan. They are his best friends and they might try to seek revenge. As for Cedric, I think he will simply try to beat you in the tournament."

"And what if I win the tournament?" Harry asked. "What will he do?" 

"I have no idea," Blaise admitted with a shrug. 

Harry sighed. The last thing he needed was another enemy. Especially a seventh year student who was close to graduating, but he was sick and tired of being at the bottom. He wouldn't let a couple of jealous students ruin his chances of winning. 

"It doesn't matter," he shook his head. "They don't matter. I'm not going to let them get in my way."

"Good," Blaise nodded. "That's what I was hoping you would say, but I wanted to warn you nonetheless."

Harry nodded and bit his lip for a moment, thinking. 

"I want to learn dark magic." he said in a rush. 

Blaise blinked slowly. "Are you… are you sure?" 

"I'm sure. I have been thinking about it for awhile," Harry admitted. "Something is telling me I'm meant to learn. Plus, I don't want to limit myself to only one type of magic. I have a lot of enemies and I have to be ready to face them."

Harry meant what he said. If the books were true, dark magic was generally more powerful than light magic, and he wanted to be powerful. Plus, if he were being honest with himself, he just wanted to forge his own path. He wanted to be free. Dark magic would help him escape Dumbledore for good. 

Harry lost all respect for the headmaster after the task earlier that night. Dumbledore's behavior only solidified his decision to learn. 

Blaise gave him a long, hard look. Harry almost squirmed under its intensity. After a full minute Blaise spoke, 

"Okay. As long as you are certain, we will teach you and provide you materials to study."

"Thank you," Harry breathed. 

"We can start later though. For now, we have a party to attend," Blaise said with a smirk. "Dance with me Potter."

Harry felt a wave of panic run through him. "Uhh, I'm a shit dancer Blaise."

"Doesn't matter." Blaise replied bluntly as he pulled him towards the floor. 

Suddenly Harry was standing in the middle of dozens of dancing students. He stood there stiffly, feeling like a fish out of water. 

Blaise smiled encouragingly, "Just relax Harry. It doesn't matter if you don't know how to dance. It's all just for fun. Watch me."

Blaise began moving to the music in no particular pattern. Harry found himself admiring how graceful Blaise was, even dancing to some alternative pop song. 

Harry smiled as Blaise grabbed his hands and moved them both to the music. As the song continued, he started to relax. He laughed as he spun Blaise around, and soon enough they were both grinning widely. 

Harry lost track of time as one song blended into the next. They only stopped when Blaise reccomended they finish their drinks. Harry was feeling rather tipsy as he emptied his glass. 

He leaned against a wall next to Blaise and watched as Luna danced lightly across the dance floor with Draco. Castor and Daphne were both talking in the corner to Theo and Pansy, while Neville danced with two fifth year Slytherin girls. 

Fred and George appeared in front of Harry and dragged both him and Blaise back to the dance floor. 

The rest of the night was a blur of music and friends. It was the only time he could remember truly letting go. 

* * *

Some how, they all managed to find their way back to Draco's dorm room at the end of the night. 

Harry woke up on the floor in front of the dorm's small fireplace. The world was blurry for a moment when he first opened his eyes, and it took him a few minutes to realize he was cuddling someone's foot. He pushed himself backwards and grimaced. 

Fred sat up and gave him a wolfish grin, "Woah mate, I didn't know you had a foot fetish."

Harry hid his face in his elbow, "Gross." 

He continued laying on the floor for another few minutes just to get his bearings. Eventually his desire for a hot shower was too strong to ignore, and he forced himself to stand. 

His legs felt a little wobbly, and his stomach began to protest so Harry leaned against the sofa for support. 

Harry smiled when he saw Daphne taking a wizarding photograph of Draco, Theo, and Castor cuddling together on Draco's bed. The three of them woke up when the camera flashed, and they scrambled to get away from each other once they realized what was happening. 

Behind Harry, George curled up into the fetal position next to Fred. "Hey Fred," he groaned. 

"Yeah George?" 

"Remind me to never party with the Slytherins again."

"Who are you kidding brother, that was brilliant." Fred slapped George hard on the back, causing him to groan again. 

Harry laughed at that, but quickly stopped when his head started throbbing. He put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes. "Where is Blaise?" he asked after a minute. 

"He's over here," Daphne said in an amused tone. "On the floor next to Draco's bed."

Harry slowly made his way over to Draco's bed, where he found a quietly snoring Blaise stretched out on a sofa cushion on the floor. He smiled at the sight before deciding to let him sleep a little longer. He instead went into the bathroom and took a long shower.

By the time he was finished, the others had all woken up. He towel dried his hair and sat down on the sofa next to Luna and Neville, who looked half asleep.

"How was your night Neville?" Harry asked, remembering the two Slytherin girls. 

Neville sent him a tired grin, "Brilliant. Let me know next time the Slytherins throw a party."

"Will do Neville, will do."

"Good morning everyone," Pansy announced suddenly. "Breakfast and hangover potions this morning are curtasy of the Parkinson household." 

She clapped her hands and three house elves appeared. One held a handful of light blue vials, while the other two held trays of food. The trays of food were deposited on Draco's desk, while the hangover potions were passed around to the students. 

Harry took his vial from the house elf and gulped it down without hesitation. He felt better almost immediately. His stomach calmed and his headache disappeared. He sent Pansy a grateful look before filling two small plates with food from the desk. 

He took one plate and a hangover potion over to Blaise, the only person still sleeping, and sat down beside him. Harry touched his shoulder gently and Blaise opened one eye. 

"I'm never getting up," he groaned quietly. 

"But I brought you this wonderful hangover potion," Harry smirked. 

Blaise opened both eyes and took the potion from Harry. He sat up and finished it in one giant gulp. He smiled shyly, "Thanks."

"No problem. I also brought you some food." Harry held out the plate to him. 

The students all sat on the floor of Draco's dorm and ate their breakfast. It was delicious, even better than the normal Hogwart's breakfast. 

After they finished eating, most of the group, including Blaise, returned to their dorm rooms to shower and sleep. Harry, on the other hand, felt energized. So he decided to go for a walk on the Hogwarts grounds alone. He needed time to himself after the intensity of the past few days. 

He picked a spot in the Hogwarts courtyard where the sun was shining. He leaned comfortably against a stone pillar and removed a disguised Dark Arts history book from his bag. 

He read there peacefully for the next hour, occasionally looking up as students walked passed him. On one of those occasions he looked up to see Cedric Diggory crossing the courtyard with Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Ravenclaw Cho Chang. 

Harry immediately noticed the pale while scar running down Cedric's face. He realized it must have been a serious injury to leave such a visible scar. 

The scar changed Cedric's overall appearance. He was still handsome, but the scar made it a harsher sort of beauty. 

Gone was the boyish Hufflepuff. 

Cedric seemed to notice Harry at the same time Harry noticed him. The look Cedric gave him could have frozen fire. Cedric's eyes were chips of ice, and Harry had to suppress the shiver that threatened to run through him. 

Blaise was right, he had a new enemy. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some people seem to think that Hufflepuffs aren't dangerous, but I wanted to challenge that in this fic. I think certain Hufflepuff traits can actually create a person who is quite formidable.
> 
> I'm sorry if some of you don't like how I'm writing Cedric in this fic, but I thought it would create an interesting dynamic and I wanted to play around with it.


	8. Dreaming

Harry woke up in a terrible mood. 

He slept awfully after dreaming about the Slytherins betraying him all night. The nightmares had been plaguing him lately. 

In the end, he decided it was the not-knowing that was really eating away at him. Winter break was fast approaching and he still knew nothing about his situation. 

He had avoided it this far because he needed the Slytherin's help. Plus, he needed their friendship and he didn't want to risk losing it. 

Now however, he decided it was time to ask Draco what he knew. Harry fully believed that he would go mad unless he found some answers to his questions. 

In the end, Harry decided to pull Draco aside after their double potions lesson, 

"Hey Draco."

Draco turned away from his conversation with Castor, "Hey Harry," 

"Can I talk to you?" Harry wiped his sweaty palms on his robe. "Privately?" 

Draco nodded and the two of them found an abandoned classroom down the corridor. Harry closed the door behind them and cast privacy spells on the door so they wouldn't be overheard. 

When he turned around Draco was watching him curiously. "What is it?" 

Harry reached into his pocket and handed Draco a crumpled piece of paper. The same one Draco gave him the day after his name came out of the goblet. The one that read,  _ 'Be careful Potter, things are not as the seem. You are being watched.' _

Harry watched as Draco's eyes widened. "I didn't know you still had this," he said quietly. 

"I've been meaning to ask you about this for weeks now, but I couldn't seem to work up the courage," Harry admitted with a shrug. "I need to know why you warned me."

Draco's face paled. "I… I don't know."

"No!" Harry clenched his fists and shouted suddenly. He forced himself to take a deep breath and calm down. 

"You must have known I would ask eventually," Harry tried again. "I am sick and tired of everyone hiding things from me. No one is telling me anything. I thought… I

I thought we were friends, Draco."

Draco's eyes widened and he nodded, "We are Harry. I promise we are. I'm not hiding things from you to hurt you. I'm hiding things to protect you. You're not ready to know."

Harry pulled on the chain of the raven pendant and pulled it out from underneath his shirt. "Why did you seem to recognize this?" 

Draco blinked slowly and appeared to be at a loss for words. "Harry-," 

"Don't lie," Harry shook his head. "You're one of my best friends. I can't handle a lie from you, not now."

"Harry!" Draco exclaimed "Listen, I'm not lying to you. I have never lied to you. Yes I recognize the pendant."

"So you know who sent it to me?" he asked. 

Draco's shoulders slumped. "Yes, I do."

"And? Who is it?" Harry demanded. 

"I can't tell you. No - Harry listen," Draco held out a hand in front of him to stop Harry from storming out. "I can't tell you, but not because I don't want to. I can't tell you because I took an oath not to tell you before it was time."

Harry was stunned.  _ Who would make Draco and the others swear an oath?  _

"However, I can promise you that everyone is on your side. We are just doing whatever we can to help you and protect you."

Harry was silent for a long moment. "And the person who sent me this? Are they protecting me too?" Harry gestured to the pendant. 

Draco nodded quickly, "Yes. We are all on your side."

Harry's heart sunk. "This mystery person… are they the reason you began protecting me in the first place? Are they the only reason we became friends?" 

"No!" Draco shouted, startling Harry. Draco swallowed and shook his head vehemently. "No that isn't why we became friends. Don't you get it? I've wanted to be your friend since first year, but I fucked it up!"

Draco ran his hands through his hair, breathing heavily. "I admit I was a stupid kid who said stupid things. We never hated you, but you were sorted into Gryffindor and you started believing everything the other houses said about Slytherins. What chance did we have of being friends then? Then suddenly your name came out of the cup and they pushed you away. I admit I saw it as an opening."

A little bit of weight lifted from Harry's shoulders hearing that. 

Draco wrapped Harry in a tight hug, "I'm glad we are friends Harry. I don't like keeping things from you, and neither do the others. I promise we will tell you everything as soon as we can."

Harry sighed and relaxed. A big weight had been lifted from his chest. He may not understand his situation completely, but at least he had real friends who were looking out for him. 

* * *

Harry couldn't believe it. He blinked slowly and decided he must be dreaming. 

Ronald Weasley was dancing with McGonagall. 

Harry soaked in the sight. He enjoyed the way Ron's lip quivered with every step. It was amusing to see him as the center of negative attention for once. 

Harry crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed against the wall with a satisfied smirk. He would never forget this moment for as long as he lived. 

The twins suddenly appeared behind him. 

"Hey Harrykins," Fred whispered. 

"Mr. Dark overlord sir," George smirked. 

Harry rolled his eyes, "Please tell me you guys managed to get a photo of this?" 

"Oh absolutely," they said together with identical smirks. "He's never going to forget it."

McGonagall finally stepped back from Ron and clapped her hands, "Alright students, it is your turn. Everyone please stand."

George ducked down, "Time to go."

Fred and George both made their way to the door, hiding behind the other students and Harry decided to follow. The three of them snuck through the door while McGonagall was destracted by the protesting students. 

After they successfully made their escape, Harry left the twins behind and made his way to the Slytherin common room. He knew the Slytherins had a free period and would probably be there. 

He found his friends reading dark arts books in the fourth year study room. Harry threw off his Gryffindor school robe and loosened his tie. He flopped into an open chair and shook his head. "You're never going to believe what just happened."

Pansy closed her book, looking interested. "Mr. Potter, do you have juicy gossip to share with us?" 

"Absolutely," he smirked. "Ronald Weasley just waltzed with McGonagall in front of the whole Gryffindor house."

"Shut up," Blaise said with wide eyes. 

"It's true," Harry confirmed with a satisfied smile. 

Castor leaned forward in his seat, "I would have killed to see it."

"Me too," said Daphne with a laugh. "So Harry, did you learn to dance?" 

"Uh, no." He admitted. "I snuck out with the twins. Did you guys have lessons with Snape?" 

Draco barked out a laugh, "Snape teaching us to dance? No way. Most Slytherins already know how to dance, and those who don't learn from other Slytherins."

"Oh, I see."

Pansy stood from her seat, "Come on Harry, I'll teach you. You don't need McGonagall."

Harry hesitated. He wasn't a very good dancer and the idea of it made him nervous. Dancing with Blaise had been fun and free. Waltzing in front of the students was… intimidating, to say the least. 

After a moment he forced himself to stand. He was creating a new reputation for himself, and he certainly wouldn't allow himself to look like a fool during the champions dance. 

He spent the next two hours practicing with Pansy. She was patient as she taught him the steps, and by the end of it he was feeling rather confident. 

He grinned as Pansy clapped her hands, "You're a brilliant dancer Harry!" 

"Thanks Pansy."

"Your date is going to be lucky to have you," She added with a smirk. 

Harry blinked slowly.  _ A date.  _ He hadn't even realized he would need one, though he supposed it was rather obvious. He couldn't just dance alone in front of the entire school. 

Harry glanced to his left where the rest of his friends were studying. After making sure they weren't paying attention, he whispered, "How do I get a date?" 

Pansy smiled gently, "You just ask someone you like, silly. Theo asked me yesterday."

"But I don't even know who I like," Harry shrugged. 

"Just take a few days and think about it," Pansy suggested. "See if someone stands out and ask them."

* * *

  
  


A few days later Harry received a letter from Sirius during breakfast. He stuck the letter in the pocket of his robe and walked to the library as quickly as he could. 

He found a hidden table near the back of the library, and tore open the envelope. 

_ Dear Harry,  _

_ I am sorry I haven't written to you in some time. I have been working day and night to find Pettigrew so that I can prove my innocence to the Ministry. My hope is that once my name is cleared, you will be able to live with me full time.  _

_ I am extremely proud of your performance in the first task. While I may hate the fact that you have to compete at all, I always knew you would conquer anything they threw at you.  _

_ I know champions are required to attend the Yule Ball, but the school is allowing students to return home the morning after to see their families. I was wondering if you would like to spend the rest of the holidays with me at the Black Manor in Southern France? I think it's about time that we spend the holidays together as a family again, don't you?  _

_ Write to me soon with your decision.  _

_ Love,  _

_ Snuffles  _

A small smile formed on Harry's face as he finished reading the letter. He would get to spend the Holidays with Sirius. It would be his first time spending Yule with family since his parent's deaths. 

Sirius hadn't mentioned anything about Harry spending time with the Slytherins, but maybe he didn't know? Either way, Harry would have to tell him over Yule. He was sure Sirius would disapprove of his actions, and he wasn't looking forward to having that conversation. 

Harry took out parchment and a quill from his backpack and wrote his reply, 

_ Dear Snuffles,  _

_ Of course I want to spend Yule with you. I have never traveled outside of the country before so I can't wait to go to France.  _

_ I admit I was terrified during the first task. I never wanted to compete in the first place, but I'm glad I did. I was finally able to prove myself.  _

_ Don't worry, someday we will find Pettigrew and your name will be cleared. We won't let him win.  _

_ I can't wait for Yule.  _

_ Love,  _

_ Harry _

Harry folded the letter and put it in his backpack to take up to the owlery later. 

He moved to take his books out of his bag to study, but stopped when he felt someone watching him. He looked up, and saw Hermione watching him from behind the bookshelf. He froze, and they stared at one another for a long moment. 

Eventually she took a deep breath and approached him. She pulled out a chair and sat across from him without asking. Harry raised an eyebrow as he bristled inside.  _ Who did she think she was? _

They were both silent for an extended period of time. 

Hermione cleared her throat, "Harry, I think you're making a mistake. The Slytherins are dangerous and you know that. I want us to be friends-"

Harry held up a hand to stop her from continuing. He shook his head, "No Hermione. You gave up that opportunity a long time ago. You have no right to tell me what I should and shouldn't do."

He stood from the table and grabbed his backpack. Hermione reached out and grabbed his arm with a horrified expression on her face, "Harry… what happened to you?" 

"I was abandoned," he said simply. "I am the monster you created. Be careful Hermione. I can't promise you what will happen if you get in my way again."

He pulled his arm from her grasp and left her sitting alone in the library. 


	9. Dark Magic

Harry found himself standing in the Chamber of Secrets with a Dark Arts book tucked underneath his arm. After spending several days studying the basics, he decided it was time to try it himself. 

Castor offered to help him learn, but his instincts told him to try learning alone first. 

He didn't know what it was, but he felt it in his gut that he was meant to learn dark magic. The feeling had been eating away at him since he started learning his first dark spell for the tournament. That complex spell had been _ easy _for him. Way easier than most other spells. 

He asked Draco about it earlier that morning, and found out some witches and wizards have affinities for dark magic. Apparently it was rare, but not impossible. Harry didn't know if he had an affinity for dark magic, but he wanted to find out. 

He chose the Chamber of Secrets to practice because it was impossible for Dumbledore to catch him there. He felt comfortable enough reading disguised Dark Arts books throughout Hogwarts, but actually practicing Dark Magic was something else entirely. He didn't feel like spending the rest of his life in Azkaban. 

Plus, Harry felt a strange connection to the chamber, despite the fact that he had almost died there. It didn't feel cold or dangerous anymore. Now he felt welcome. His theory was that the chamber could sense his change in magical allegiance. 

Harry dropped his backpack on the ground and took out the blanket he had stuffed within. He spread the blanket over the stone floor and sat down, laying the Dark Arts book open in front of him.

The rare book, a gift from Draco, focused on offensive and defensive elemental spells. He chose a spell at random from the chapter on earth spells and practiced the wand movements for the next several minutes. 

When he thought he was ready, he stood and conjured several dueling dummies the way Castor had demonstrated earlier. 

His books recommended he close his eyes and focus on his emotions before casting a dark spell, so he did just that. He didn't try to clear his mind or push his emotions away. He brought his emotions to the forefront of his mind while keeping them under control. He allowed his emotions to mix with his magic. It was a strange sensation at first, but after a while it felt comfortable. Natural almost. 

Prior to the start of his journey down this path, he hadn't realized how different the two types of magic were. How different they _ felt _in his body. 

Dark Magic felt like a churning sea. He could feel its untamed nature, wild and free. He loved the way it danced underneath his skin, and he felt a deep connection to it. Harry himself had an overwhelming desire to be free. He never realized how restrained Light Magic was until that moment. 

He stood there quietly for a long while, just basking in the feeling of the magic. 

Eventually he opened his eyes and pointed his wand at the nearest dummy. He focused his emotions and murmured, _ "Fractionis terrace," _and the ground beneath the dummy began to tremble. He focused harder and pushed his magic forward. The ground trembled further and collapsed inward, swallowing the dummy whole. 

He was breathless as he surveyed the damage, both from exhaustion and shock. He realized a spell like that could be potentially devastating in a battle if done on a wide enough scale. However, it took an immense amount of magic to perform, so he doubted he would ever be able to do it more than once in a duel. 

He took a moment to recover before repairing the damage to the stone floor. 

He chose another earth spell from the book, and focused before casting it on one of the dummies. _ "Vitam faciunt laminis." _

Obsidian knives shot out of the tip of his wand and tore through the dummy before embedding in the wall behind it. 

Harry stared at the dummy in awe, surveying the damage. At that moment he realized how truly screwed he might have been if he had continued following Dumbledore. Dumbledore wanted him to fight people who had access to all of this? Did Dumbledore honestly believe Harry would stand a chance against someone as powerful as Voldemort? 

At that moment Harry vowed to become a powerful dark wizard. He would practice every single day if necessary. He would never allow himself to be a weak and gullible person ever again. 

Harry took a moment to refocus before returning to the book. He chose a shield spell from the chapter on earth magic and decided to give it a try. _ "Speculum murum." _

A wall of crystal shot up from the ground in front of him and he grinned. He could see the dummies through the shield, but he doubted most spells would be able to break through. He cast the strongest blasting curse he could at the wall, but it didn't damage it even slightly. 

Harry whistled to himself and decided that would be his favorite shield spell from now on. 

Harry spent more time reading through the book on elemental magic, writing down the spells and their page numbers he wanted to master by the end of the week. He knew if he wanted to become a skilled dark wizard, he needed to set goals for himself. In the end, he chose 3 water spells, 4 fire spells, 3 air spells, and 2 earth spells to master over the next week. He was determined to reach his goal. He knew the consequences would be dire if he didn't. 

Harry slipped the elemental magic book into his backpack and removed a different book, this one on ritual magic. 

Harry flipped through the book. He was captivated by it. Some rituals appeared to be very useful, such as the memory enhancement ritual and the mental clarity ritual. Others were rather questionable, like the one meant to send your enemies horrifying nightmares every night for a month. 

Harry wrote down the memory and clarity rituals on his parchment and took note of the ingredients he would need to perform them. They were simple, so he figured he would be capable of performing them on his own at some point in the future. 

He rolled up his parchment and slipped it into his backpack along with his books before throwing the backpack over his shoulder. 

He left the chamber with a new purpose. He wasn't just going to survive, he was also going to win. 

* * *

Draco met Harry outside of his Charms class later that week. Draco looked nervous, so Harry asked, "What's wrong?" 

"I was hoping you could help me with something," Draco admitted before explaining what he needed. 

After listening Harry grinned. "Of course I will help."

* * *

A few hours later after dinner ended, Harry stood from the Slytherin table and walked over to the Ravenclaw table. Luna turned to look at him as he approached. 

"Hello Harry," she said with a smile. 

"Hey Luna, I was wondering if we could talk?" 

"Yes we can Harry."

They linked arms once they escaped the crowds leaving the Great Hall. 

"I can tell things are changing Harry," Luna pointed out once they were alone. 

"Yeah?" 

She nodded, "You have chosen your own path, and I think we will all be better for it."

Harry sighed and felt a weight lift from his chest. Despite his newfound motivations, he had been slightly nervous about learning Dark Magic. Deep down he knew Dark Magic wasn't evil, but he knew his parents would be disappointed, and that bothered him. 

Somehow Harry could tell Luna knew exactly what he had been doing recently. Over the last week Harry had been spending his evenings in the Chamber of Secrets practicing his list of spells. He only had one spell left on his list to master before he chose more spells to learn. He was slowly improving, and he was sure he would become a powerful wizard if given enough time. 

He sighed, "Thanks Luna. I was… worried."

"Don't be Harry. You are doing what you need to do in order to be safe and independent."

He nodded, "What about… Ron and Hermione."

"They already made their choice," she shrugged. "They will only be obstacles from this point on."

The last bit of affection Harry held for Ron and Hermione died in that instant. He would always be fond of his memories with them, but they were his enemies now. They would try to fight him once they knew what he was doing. 

"Harry?" 

He snapped out of his thoughts, "Yeah?" 

"There will be others you need to worry about in the future, besides Ron and Hermione. Be careful going forward." 

"I know," he nodded. "And I will be, I promise."

They walked in a comfortable silence until they reached an abandoned classroom near the base of Ravenclaw tower. Harry suppressed a grin as he pulled Luna towards the door and pushed it open for her. 

"What is this?" She asked. 

"Go find out," Harry urged her. 

Luna skipped inside without hesitation, and Harry smiled softly when he heard her gasp. 

Waiting there for her was Draco, dressed in fine charcoal robes, holding a large bouquet of white roses. 

Draco was visibly nervous, but Luna looked positively delighted. 

Harry entered the room quietly behind her and shut the door. 

Draco cleared his throat and handed Luna the flowers. "Luna, I was hoping you would like to be my date to the Yule ball?" 

Luna smiled brightly as she took the roses. "I would love to be your date Draco. Thank you."

Draco relaxed a little and returned her smile. "I also brought you a gift." He reached into his pocket and removed a small box. He held it out to her. 

Luna took it gently and gasped as she opened it. Harry already knew the box contained a pair of beautiful white rose earrings. He bit his lip to prevent his smile from growing. He enjoyed seeing two of his best friends so happy. 

"I was hoping you would wear them to the ball?" Draco said hesitantly. 

She touched the earrings gently, "Yes I will."

Harry heard someone clear their throat behind him, so he turned around. 

He was startled when he realized it was Blaise. 

Blaise. Who was wearing black formal robes and holding a bouquet of red roses. 

Harry blinked slowly, feeling confused. Why was Blaise there? Harry's job was to bring Luna to Draco so he could ask her to the ball. Blaise had never been part of the plan. 

Harry was dumbstruck as Blaise handed him the large bouquet. 

He took it carefully and Blaise smirked, "I knew you would never ask me, so I decided to ask you first."

"You planned this… with Draco?"

Blaise grinned, "Of course. Now Harry, would you accompany me to the ball?" 

"Slytherins," Harry muttered under his breath, but he found himself nodding with a tiny smile. 

The shock of first seeing Blaise was starting to give way to a nervous feeling in his gut. He would be dancing with Blaise in front of all three schools. But, then again, he would prefer dancing with Blaise over anyone else. At least they had danced together before. 

Blaise, still grinning, removed a velvet black box from the inside of his robe, the same size as Luna's. Harry took it from Blaise's outstretched hand and opened it slowly. He realized it was a single black earring shaped like a dagger. He picked it up and watched as it glinted in the light. 

Harry found himself captivated by it. It would dangle from his ear, and he could tell it would make quite a statement. 

"Blaise I can't accept this," Harry said regretfully. "It's beautiful, but it's too much."

"If it makes you feel better I can't return it," Blaise pointed out. "I would really appreciate it if you would keep it."

Harry nodded, then pointed out, "I don't have my ear pierced?" 

"Pansy knows how to do it. She can do it for you and it will be completely painless."

Harry let out a breath, "Thank you. I have been dreading the ball, but now, maybe I will have fun with you as my date." 

Blaise grinned again, "I will make it a priority to ensure you have fun."

Harry turned as Draco said, "Hey Blaise, now we both have dates!" 

"Two very attractive dates, if I might add," Blaise winked. 

Harry would deny it, even on his deathbed, but he blushed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm sorry it has been awhile. I moved across the country so things have been crazy lately. I might not have time to reply to comments for awhile so I hope you don't mind!!!
> 
> Stay safe everyone!


	10. The Yule Ball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Its time for the ball! 
> 
> Go check out my new book 'Blackfire', I think you guys are really going to like it!  
Summary: Babies in the magical world are born with either green or brown eyes. Green for light magic, and brown for dark magic.  
Harry Potter comes from a long line of light witches and wizards. Everyone expects Harry to be born with green eyes, but when his eyes turn brown shortly after his birth, his parents do the only thing they can think of to protect him.  
They send him to live with the Dursleys.

"Ready Harry?" Draco peeked his head into the bathroom where Harry was trying to fix his hair.

"No, well, yeah I guess. I don't know," Harry mumbled. 

"Your hair looks fine," Draco assured him. "Pansy would be proud."

Harry tugged at his robes nervously. He was wearing the black dress robes Pansy and Daphne gave him before the first tournament. The modern looking robes  _ were  _ beautiful. They glinted purple whenever he moved, and he knew they would stand out at the ball. He was just worried they didn't look good on  _ him.  _

Draco left the bathroom and came back a moment later with Pansy in tow. 

He couldn't help but gasp when he saw her. She was wearing a draping forest green dress that moved elegantly around her as she walked. "Wow, Pansy. You look beautiful. Theo is a lucky man."

She smiled and adjusted his bow tie, "You look great too Harry. Daphne and I made sure of it. Everyone is going to be in awe of you."

"You sure?" he laughed awkwardly. "What if I mess up and fall over or something during the dance."

"Harry Potter," she frowned. "Are you telling me I'm a bad teacher? Because I distinctly remember teaching you how to dance myself."

"I… no, uh…" Harry stuttered. 

Her face broke into a grin. "Just relax Harry, Blaise won't let you fall."

Harry rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. 

"Do you need help putting the earring in?" she asked. 

He nodded, "Please." Pansy had pierced his ear a few days earlier. It was completely painless, and healed in just a few seconds. 

She helped him put on the earring. Together, the earring and his dark robes made his eyes and pale skin glow. 

"You look like a god," she told him with a grin. "Blaise is going to have a difficult time keeping everyone away from you."

He blushed and shook his head, but felt better nonetheless. “Thanks Pansy.” 

“Now let's go,” she linked their arms. “We have men to knock dead.” 

He laughed and led her out of the bathroom. Together they made their way down to the common room. 

Their friends were all waiting for them. Castor had his arm around Daphne, and they were talking to Draco, Luna, Blaise, and Theo in front of one of the fireplaces. They all stopped their conversations and turned to look as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

Daphne immediately came over and hugged them both, “Absolutely gorgeous,” she whispered. 

Blaise and Theo were right behind her. Theo took Pansy’s hand and kissed it gently, “My lady,” he said with a smirk. She waved him off, but Harry could tell she was pleased. 

Harry could barely pay attention to them though, because Blaise was standing right in front of him looking like a king. Blaise’s robes matched Harry’s. They were a royal purple with a single black strap crossing over his chest. He also wore expensive looking black dragonhide gloves and a silver pendant which hung from his neck. The pendant was a dagger, almost identical to the one in his earring. Harry didn't think that was a coincidence. 

“You look perfect,” He told Blaise, and he meant it. He felt a lot more comfortable knowing it was Blaise he would be dancing with. 

“As do you,” Blaise grinned. “I’m lucky I asked you before someone else did.”

Blaise reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver chain. “By the way,” he said. “We have one final gift for you before we go.” 

He handed the chain to Harry, who realized it was a snake pendant. It was similar to the Slytherin crest, but more detailed and realistic. He ran his fingertips over the fine metalwork in awe, “I seriously can’t accept any more gifts.” 

“Its tradition,” Draco explained. “Wizards almost always wear a pendant composed of their family crest to formal events.”

It was then that Harry realized Draco was also wearing a silver pendant, except his pendant was a dragon. Castor’s was a knight holding a sword, and Theo’s was a winged stallion. 

“We thought the Potter lion might be a little too similar to Gryffindor, so we decided to give you a pendant that represented your Slytherin mind instead,” Castor smirked. 

Harry smiled.  _ Another way for him to reject Gryffindor.  _ He slipped the chain over his neck, and Blaise adjusted it for him. 

"Ready?" Blaise asked quietly. 

Harry nodded, "Let's go." He linked arms with Blaise, and they followed the crowds to the Great Hall. 

Once they arrived, Harry and Blaise were whisked away from their group by a flustered McGonagall. "Oh come along this way boys, the dance is starting soon," she pulled them over to a group made of the champions and their dates. 

Harry was surprised to see Hermione was Viktor Krum's date, but he didn't show it, choosing to ignore her instead. 

"Right Mr. Potter, you will go last, since you are the youngest contestant," McGonagall informed him. 

Harry nodded, "Yes professor." 

McGonagall turned to enter the hall and almost ran into an irritated Ron Weasley. Harry raised an eyebrow when he saw Ron's dress robes. They were horrific. 

"Oh, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall adjusted his bow tie. She then fled, as if she couldn't stand to look at Ron's horrible robes any longer. 

Harry barely contained his laugh. Blaise on the other hand, didn't even try. A blushing Ron turned to face Blaise, "Got something to say Zabini?" 

"No, nothing at all," Blaise, still smiling, wiped an imaginary tear from his eye. The entrance hall was empty except for them now. 

"At least my mother isn't a gold digger! " Ron snapped. 

Blaise went from laughing, to pointing his wand at Ron's throat in less than a second. Harry didn't even have time to react. 

"Say that again Weasley. I dare you," Blaise hissed. If they weren't in public, Harry knew Blaise would curse Ron within an inch of his life. 

Harry pulled Blaise back and got between them, "Not here, not now. Later, I promise." He whispered into Blaise's ear. Blaise took a deep breath and nodded. 

Harry turned and immediately got in Ron's face. He almost laughed when Ron stepped back nervously. "Don't you ever,  _ ever,  _ say something like that again. Do you understand me?" 

Ron swallowed, "Or what? It's true. So, you're a faggot now?" 

Harry was surprised when Viktor Krum's spell flew past him and hit Ron directly in the center of chest. The spell sent Ron flying across the entry hall and crashing into the wall. Ron crumpled on the ground in a heap. 

Viktor shrugged and spoke in his thick Bulgarian accent. "I don't tolerate that kind of behavior."

Blaise clapped him on the shoulder, "Thank you. I only wish I could have done it myself." 

"I was about to," Harry smirked. 

Hermione looked both furious at Ron's words, and shocked by Viktor's response. Either way she didn't protest the end result. 

"I won't say anything if you guys don't," Blaise shrugged. 

"You won't hear a word out of me," Cedric raised his eyebrows. 

Fleur smirked, "I was busy talking to my date. I didn't see anything." 

"See what?" Harry asked innocently. 

"Thank you," Viktor said as he put his wand away. "I don't like detention."

McGonagall returned a moment later and told them to get ready. She didn't notice Ron's unconscious form on the ground behind her. 

Blaise took Harry's arm as the music began to play. They followed Cedric and Cho into the Great Hall, and Harry couldn't keep the smirk off his face. He was in an  _ excellent  _ mood.

When they reached the dance floor Harry confidently put his hands on Blaise's waist. Together they spun elegantly around the dance floor, and somewhere in the crowd he thought he heard Pansy cheer. 

As time went on more people joined the champions on the dance floor, but Harry kept dancing. He was grinning as he spun Blaise around. 

“Do you think anyone found him yet?” Blaise asked with a smirk. 

“I don’t know and I don’t care.” Harry replied easily. 

“Fair enough.” 

One song blended into the next, but Harry barely noticed. Surprisingly enough he was having the time of his life. 

Pansy appeared next to them some time later, “May I cut in Blaise?” 

Balise rolled his eyes, “If you must.”

Pansy took Blaise’s place, and the two of them began to dance. It was exactly like their lessons, except this time they weren’t alone. 

“Harry Potter,” she grinned. “Are you sure you’re not a professional?” 

“I wish,” he laughed. 

“Everyone has been watching you all night so far. The professors, the students. They are in awe of you.” 

“Really? I hadn’t even noticed anyone was watching.” 

Now Pansy rolled her eyes, “Of course they are. I wasn’t joking when I said you looked like a god.” 

Harry blushed. They finished their dance, and Harry was quickly swept away by Daphne. Then Draco was next, and Castor. They all danced together for the next hour, laughing and smiling the entire time. 

Eventually Blaise pushed Castor out of the way, “My turn,” he winked. 

They finished one dance, then Blaise whispered in his ear, “Hey, some of the older Slytherins spiked the punch. Do you want some?” 

“Yeah sure,” Harry laughed. You could always count on the Slytherins. They made their way to the punch table and found Draco already there with Luna and Castor. 

“Blaise told us what happened,” Draco smirked. 

“It was great, I’m not gonna lie,” Harry smiled. 

Castor sipped from his drink, “He's over there,” he gestured towards the back corner of the ballroom, and Harry realized he was right. 

Ron was hiding alone in the corner, holding an ice pack to the back of his head. Ron was  _ glaring  _ at him, but Harry ignored him and turned back to his friends. He took the glass Blaise handed to him, “Well he looks like he's having fun.” 

Neville appeared suddenly beside them with Ginny. “Hey guys,” he smiled. 

“Hey Neville,” Draco greeted him and poured them both drinks. “Hello Ginny.” 

Ginny looked nervous being near so many Slytherins, but she smiled and nodded, “Hi Draco.”

Harry noticed Ron walking towards their group out of the corner of his eye.  _ Oh great.  _ “Ron’s coming,” he whispered to Blaise. Blaise nodded slightly, and Harry noticed him take out his wand. 

Ron grabbed Ginny’s shoulder and tried to pull her away, “Come on Ginny, you shouldn’t be talking to them.” 

“Back off Ron,” Ginny frowned. 

Ron tried again, but Neville got between them. “Go away Ron, you don’t get to ruin her night. We are having fun.” 

Ron’s face turned red, but Neville didn’t budge. Ron glared at Ginny and hissed, “I’m writing a letter to mum.” 

“Maybe I should write her one myself,” Harry announced. “You know, and tell her all about how you abandoned me. I think she would like that.” 

Ron looked like a fish, the way his mouth opened and closed. 

“Leave Ron. Go find someone else to bother,” Neville frowned. Ron bit his lip and returned to his lonely corner of the ballroom without another word. 

“He has been unbearable lately,” Neville sighed, and Ginny nodded in agreement. 

“I think he misses you Harry,” Ginny said. “But at the same time he is extremely jealous, especially since you hang out with Slytherins,” she gave the Slytherins apologetic looks.

“I don’t care,” Harry shrugged. “He doesn’t get to treat me the way he did and come back into my life whenever he feels like it. That’s not how it works.” 

“I know,” Ginny nodded. “I agree with you.” 

“You do?” He asked. 

“Of course. And I’m glad you found loyal friends now.” 

“Thanks Ginny,” he said softly. It was nice to know not all Gryffindors hated him.

Neville and Ginny hung out with them for the rest of the night, and by the end of it Ginny was laughing with Pansy and Daphne. Neville and Ginny both fit right in with their group. Even Fred and George danced with them for a while. 

They didn’t leave the ballroom until McGonagall told them to return to their dorm rooms and go to bed. 

Cassius Warrington found them as they were leaving the Great Hall. “After party in the Slytherin common room.” He then ran to catch up with his own friends. 

“Do you guys want to come?” Harry asked Neville, Ginny, and the twins. The twins said yes without hesitating. 

“I will go if Ginny wants to,” Neville smiled. 

She hesitated, “Are you sure?” 

“Of course,” Pansy insisted. She linked arms with Ginny

Ginny smiled, “Okay.” 

They all returned to the Slytherin common room to find the after party in full swing. 

“Well obviously I was wrong about Gryffindor being the fun house,” Ginny said with wide eyes. 

“So was I,” Harry laughed. 

The rest of the night was much like the night after the first task. It was a blur of music, food, and friends. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked the new chapter! Ron won't really play a big part moving forward, but I think this conflict was long overdue. 
> 
> Go check out my new book 'Blackfire', I think you guys are really going to like it!  
Summary: Babies in the magical world are born with either green or brown eyes. Green for light magic, and brown for dark magic.  
Harry Potter comes from a long line of light witches and wizards. Everyone expects Harry to be born with green eyes, but when his eyes turn brown shortly after his birth, his parents do the only thing they can think of to protect him.  
They send him to live with the Dursleys.


	11. The Dark Volumes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like Dark/Smart Harry, go check out my new fic Black Fire!
> 
> Thank you as always!

“Who the hell is that?” Draco scowled at the first years sitting in their compartment on the train. “We claimed this compartment when we were first years. Who do they think they are?” 

“They are just clueless first years Draco,” Harry sighed. 

He entered the compartment and leveled the Ravenclaw first years with a look. “Listen guys, you have to find a different compartment. This one belongs to the Slytherins.” 

One of the Ravenclaws, a girl with big brown eyes and light brown hair frowned. “You’re not a Slytherin.” 

Harry rolled his eyes, “Yes, obviously I’m a Gryffindor. But I’m friends with the Slytherins, so leave.” 

The Ravenclaws just blinked stubbornly, so Harry crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you really want Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson coming in here to make you leave? Because they will.” 

The Ravenclaws glanced at each other, before shrugging and gathering their belongings. 

Draco glared at them as they left the compartment, but they didn’t shrink away from his glare. He seemed very put off by this as he sulked his way into the compartment. 

Castor grinned, “Aw poor Draco. Don’t worry, I’m sure they were scared on the inside.” 

Draco huffed, but didn't retort. Everyone laughed as they settled into the compartment. It was the start of the Yule holiday, and they were all excited to have a break from school. 

Luna, Daphne, Neville, and the Weasleys all decided to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays, so the compartment was only half full. 

Blaise was going to his family home in Italy with his mother, while Draco was going to France with his parents. Pansy was staying home in London, and Castor was going on holiday in Spain with his mother and father. 

Harry was suddenly reminded that all of his friends were the children of Death Eaters. He decided he didn't want to think about it, and pushed all thoughts of Death Eaters out of his head. He wanted to enjoy his last few hours with his friends before he met Sirius in Diagon Alley.

Sirius had written to him a few days prior to explain his plan. After Harry left Kingscross Station, he would take the Knight bus to Diagon Alley and go shopping while he waited for Sirius to meet him in the Leaky Cauldron under a polyjuice potion. 

Sirius had explained he would be late due to Order of the Phoenix business. This suited Harry just fine, because he had… plans.

He wanted to buy a few books from Knockturn Alley, and he definitely wouldn’t be able to do that if Sirius was with him. 

The train ride went quickly. The hours were spent watching Blaise beat Castor in wizarding chess, and listening to Pansy fill them in on the latest Hogwarts gossip. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the station. 

Harry pulled on a warm, black hooded cloak over his navy blue jumper. He needed something to cover his face in Knockturn Alley. He didn’t want people knowing ‘The Harry Potter’ was into the Dark Arts. Rita Skeeter would have a field day with that one, he knew. He swung his backpack over his shoulder and followed his friends off of the train. 

“Bye Harry!” Pansy and the others waved as they left to find their parents on the platform. Blaise waited until they were gone before facing Harry. “Will you write me?” 

“Of course I will,” Harry grinned. “Hedwig is going to spend a lot of time in Italy over the next few weeks. I hope she likes it.” 

Blaise returned his smile and relaxed. “I will take good care of her, I promise.”

Blaise then spotted his mother across the platform. She was a tall, graceful woman Harry realized. She shared Blaise’s dark complexion and intense, observant eyes. Her stare was directed at Harry, and it took all of his self control not to squirm. She tipped her chin at Blaise, who waved goodbye to Harry and walked quickly to her. 

Harry didn’t think he would ever want to be in a room alone with her. 

Once Blaise and his mother apparated away, Harry walked through the barrier and made his way to the busy London streets. He pulled on a pair of black dragonhide gloves and walked for a while, shivering as the rain soaked through his hooded cloak. He wished he could cast drying and warming charms, but he couldn't with the trace. _Stupid ministry_, he cursed in his head.

Sighing, he walked until he found a relatively quiet street. He looked around to make sure no one was watching. Once he was certain he was alone, he took out his wand and summoned the Knight bus. 

He wasn't prepared for the way the magical bus appeared with a loud ‘bang’ out of thin air. Harry staggered back as a gaunt man with crooked teeth stepped off the bus to greet him. "Welcome to the Knight bus," he said, "emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. My name is Stan Shunpike and I will be your conductor for this morning. Where are you heading?"

“Diagon Alley,” Harry righted himself and dug in his pocket for 11 sickles. He handed the money to Stan and quickly boarded the bus to escape the rain.

He slumped in his seat and let the heat warm him. His peace didn't last long however, because both Stan, and a bodiless head hanging from the ceiling yelled "Take it away Ernie!" And the bus roared to life. Harry's eyes widened as he was forced backward into his seat. He had ridden the bus once before in his third year, but the intensity of the ride still surprised him. 

The bus whipped through the streets of London, and all Harry could do was hold on for dear life. It was more intense than the wronski feint he often employed during quidditch matches. He honestly wouldn't have been surprised if the bus left a trail of flames in its wake. 

Harry felt giddy as the bus stopped outside of the Leaky Cauldron. He guessed there was a reason he had been sorted into Gryffindor after all. He did love a thrill. 

“The Leaky Cauldron,” Stan called, and Harry was quick to exit. He wanted to spend as much time as possible in Knockturn Alley. 

Harry nodded to Tom, the bartender as he tapped the bricks to enter Diagon with his wand. He pulled his hood up and positioned it to cover his face. Then he once again set out into the rain. 

Harry tried to look as inconspicuous as possible and stuck to the shadows. Luckily enough for him however, Diagon was rather empty. 

He didn’t hesitate to duck into the narrow entryway of Knockturn after passing Gringotts. 

Harry considered himself lucky, for he first noticed the entrance the previous summer while shopping with the Weasleys. At first he had no idea what it was, but then Mrs. Weasley ushered them away and warned them to 'stay far away from Knockturn'. 

Now he was entering the supposedly dangerous alley completely alone to buy books on the Dark Arts. 

_Oh how things have changed,_ he mused. 

Harry felt slightly nervous as he passed a rather large, drunk looking man with a bald head supporting himself against the wall. He kept going anyways, not sparing the man a second look. 

Soon enough, the narrow passage opened into something much larger, and Harry was surprised to find that Knockturn was almost as big as Diagon Alley. And strangely enough, it didn't feel dangerous. 

He honestly expected to find an alley full of thugs and thieves, but instead he found a rather calm shopping district full of people simply going about their days. He saw a mother carrying a baby into a restaurant, and an elderly man conversing with a man selling the Daily Profit. He assumed they were all dark witches and wizards, but they didn't appear to be dangerous. 

He wasn't sure which way to go, so he decided to go left and look for a book shop. After passing several shops and restaurants, he came across a store named The Dark Volumes. 

He entered the book shop quickly to escape the rain. A bell rang as he entered, but the shopkeeper didn't look up from the book he was reading. 

Harry kept his hood up as he began exploring the shelves. There were thousands of books he realized. They were stacked on every available surface, and in every corner. He noticed there were faded signs indicating which books were located where, and decided to visit the 'Dark Dueling' section. 

He picked up a book titled 'Essential Fire Spells' and tucked it underneath his arm. He found several other titles, including 'Battle Wards', 'Basic Attack Spells', and 'Dark Spells to Distract Your Opponent'. 

They all sounded incredibly useful, and he figured they would be a good place to start. In another section labeled 'Rituals' he picked up two books on rituals for new dark wizards. 

He spent the next 20 minutes searching for a book on ‘The Dark Code’, but couldn’t find anything even remotely close. He searched for dark organizations, dark governments, dark clubs, dueling clubs, Hogwarts dark witches and wizards… nothing. Blaise was right, they were _very secretive_. You could find books on any type of dark magic in existence, but there was nothing available on the code. 

Eventually he gave up and grabbed a few more books on elemental spells, runes, and dueling. He carried his heavy pile of books to the counter and handed over the galleons to the shopkeeper. The man didn't even bother looking at him, and he quickly turned back to his book after shrinking down Harry's purchases into a small bundle. 

Harry slipped the bundle into his backpack and left the bookstore. He was sure he would visit again at some point, but his new books would be enough for now. 

He stopped over at a stationary shop and bought a dark leather journal to record the spells and rituals he learned. So far, he had been writing everything down on various pieces of parchment, but it was an unorganized mess and he needed to change that. The last thing he needed was a parchment full of dark spells to fall out of his backpack during charms class. 

After checking the time, he realized he had very little time until he was supposed to meet Sirius. 

Harry stuffed the new journal into his backpack and left Knockturn Alley as discreetly as possible. Once in Diagon, he hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron and chose a table hidden in the corner. He ordered a butterbeer from Tom, the bartender when asked. 

He sipped quietly from his drink for the next several minutes, watching the doors carefully for Sirius. He had no idea what Sirius would look like, given that he would be under a polyjuice potion. 

Minutes passed, and Harry grew more and more anxious. What if the potion was faulty and wore off? What if someone recognized him? What if someone like Moody had a magical eye, and could see through such things? 

He tapped his foot against the floor, trying to distract himself. 

Finally, a bright eyed younger man who looked to be in his 20's walked through the door. Harry could tell instantly it was Sirus. Sirius always did have an arrogant bounce in his step. 

Harry had to stifle a grin, after all this time he was finally going to spend time with his godfather. 

Sirius noticed him almost immediately. He smiled warmly as he made his way over to Harry. Unable to help himself, Harry stood and enveloped Sirius in a tight hug. 

"Ahh it's good to see you old friend," Sirius spoke loud enough for Tom to hear. In Harry's ear he whispered, "I missed you too pup." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I started a new story a few weeks ago called 'Black Fire'. In this fic, your eye color indicates whether or not you are a dark or light witch or wizard (and your eye color cannot be hidden or changed). 
> 
> Go and check it out if you are interested in reading more Dark/Smart Harry!
> 
> Thank you all!!!


	12. The Code

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank my good friend Saren_Voros0 for helping me write this chapter. I wouldn't have been able to do it without them!

Sirius released Harry and clapped him on the shoulder with a grin, “Let’s get going. I want to give you a tour before dinner.” 

“Okay,” 

Harry smiled and followed Sirius out of the Leaky Cauldron and into muggle London. Sirius guided them into an empty alleyway and pulled out a silver goblet from the inside of his cloak. “Touch this,” he instructed. “It's a portkey.” 

Harry reached out without hesitating and grabbed the portkey. He didn’t like portkeys after using one to go to the quidditch world cup, but he guessed it was the easiest way to travel across countries. 

The second his fingers made contact he was spinning. He tried to focus on the goblet and ignore the churning in his gut, but this portkey journey was much further than his first experience. He fell to his knees and groaned a sigh of relief when they finally hit solid ground.

Sirius smiled and dragged him to his feet. “It’s alright pup.” He pointed his wand at Harry and muttered a spell Harry didn’t know. 

Harry immediately felt better and was able to look up at his surroundings. They were in an overgrown garden he realized. There were vines, large bushes, and flowers covering everything except for a narrow grassy path. The garden was so thick he couldn’t even see a manor. 

“This manor belonged to my grandparents,” Sirius explained as he began guiding Harry through the gardens. “My grandmother disliked well-tended gardens. She preferred a bit of chaos. She was my favorite grandparent,” Sirius grinned. 

Harry grinned back, “I like it.” 

“I thought you would.” Sirius still didn’t look like himself. The polyjuice hadn’t yet worn off, but Harry knew it would soon enough. 

They rounded a corner and Harry couldn’t help but gasp. 

The manor was the same color as the jagged stone cliffs that surrounded it, and it was difficult to distinguish between the two. It was covered in bright green vines, and only the roof was visible. The area to the left of the manor was cleared for a small vineyard, and on the other side was a large, deep blue pond. 

“It’s beautiful,” Harry muttered awe struck.

“I agree,” Sirius smiled proudly. “It’s much better than the dark and boring house in London that I grew up in. I despise that place, and I didn’t want us to spend your holiday there. Let’s go inside.” 

Together they walked up to the manor’s entrance, and Harry felt a growing sense of dread. How would Sirius feel about his new friends? Did he already know? Had he spoken with Dumbledore? Harry wasn’t sure, and he didn’t know if he should even bring up the subject. 

Taking a page out of the Slytherin playbook, Harry forced a positive expression onto his face and ignored his growing anxiety. He wanted to enjoy his time with Sirius. He didn’t want it to come to a premature end simply because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. 

Sirius spent the next hour showing Harry around the manor. He showed him the kitchens and introduced him to the house elves. He also showed him the various sitting rooms and lounge areas. 

“And this is the library,” Sirius guided him into an expansive, well lit room. There were books everywhere, and the chaotic space reminded Harry of the gardens outside. He instantly felt at home there. 

Harry glanced at some of the book titles, and was shocked to see books on the dark arts. He saw titles such as ‘_Dark Healing spells_’, ‘_Dark Witches through the Ages’,_ and_ ‘The Dark Code’_. 

_‘The Dark Code’._

After reading the last title, Harry forced himself to look away from the books. He didn’t want to appear too interested, but his heart was thudding in his chest so loudly he thought Sirius could almost certainly hear it. Of course the only books on the code would be inside of old pureblood libraries. Any witch or wizard could visit ‘_The Dark Volumes_’ in Knockturn Alley and buy books, whether they were light or dark. Dark witches and wizards would never allow books on the code to circulate in public. Plus, the Black family was one of the oldest pureblood families. He should have expected to find more information here. 

Harry smiled at Sirius, “This is really cool, but I’m still not much of a reader.” 

Sirius barked out a laugh and threw up his hands, “Neither am I. Let's get out of here and I’ll show you your room.” 

They made their way down a wide corridor to the other side of the manor. Sirius continued pointing things out and telling stories, but Harry was distracted. He had to get that book. 

* * *

Later that night after listening to Sirius tell stories about his time at Hogwarts, Harry was sitting comfortably on the wide window seat in his bedroom. He relaxed onto the soft pillows and looked out into the night. 

The stars reflected in the pond that was located just outside of his window, and he closed his eyes as a cool breeze ruffled his hair. Sirius had insisted on giving him one of the best rooms in the manor, and he wasn’t complaining.

Spending time with Sirius was freeing. The hours were spent laughing until their stomachs hurt. Harry never wanted to leave the Black manor. He felt like he had a family here. He felt loved, and even the thought of going back to the Dursleys repulsed him in a way it never had before. Why should he go back to people who hated him when his godfather cared for him and wanted him to stay? 

He swore to himself that he wouldn’t go back, no matter the circumstances. He would do whatever it took to stay with Sirius. 

With his good mood gone, Harry spent the next few hours reading his new books. He recorded several new spells he wanted to learn in his new journal for when he returned to Hogwarts to pass the time. 

Despite his fatigue, he forced himself to stay awake until almost three in the morning. He wanted to be certain that Sirius was asleep before attempting to sneak into the library and read the book. 

After pulling on a dark green hoodie to chase off the evening chill, and sticking his journal and a quill in his pocket, Harry quietly snuck out of his room and made his way to the library a floor below him. 

He thanked Merlin that the manor house had so many windows. Without the moonlight, Harry was certain he would have fallen down the stairs.

The library’s double doors were wide open when Harry finally reached them. He looked carefully around the corner to make sure the library was empty before going inside. He found the shelf he needed and grabbed the book as quickly as he could. 

Harry found a comfortable chair in the far corner of the library with adequate moonlight, and sat down to read. He wanted to take the book to his room and read it through the night, but he didn’t know what kinds of protection had been placed on the books. He didn’t know if Sirius would be alerted if he took a book from the room. 

So Harry opened the book to the first page and began to read. 

_ **The Dark Code** _

_ **From magic we came, and to magic we shall return. Using her gifts we seek to replace ignorance with wisdom. We strive to better ourselves, for complacency equals stagnation, and through stagnation we lose the gifts she granted unto us. We learn all that magic has to offer, striving to grow closer to her in body, mind and spirit. We live passionately, knowing every day may be our last. We act with honor and integrity, and do not use our gifts to harm those less fortunate. Through loyalty and fraternity we grow stronger, for empires only fall from within. There is no light without darkness. We maintain the balance. ** _

_ **May secrets and shadows guide us.** _

Harry released a breath and felt the words sink into his soul. He could feel them there, branded into his very being. The words held power, and it wasn’t until that moment that he realized the book was humming in his hands. 

He almost dropped the book in shock. The code wasn’t just a bunch of words, he realized. He could feel the magic attached to it. He could feel the souls of all the dead dark witches and wizards who had previously agreed to follow the code. It was intense, and he found himself slamming the cover shut. 

He closed his eyes tightly and took several deep, calming breaths. _Get it together_, he told himself, It’s just a book. 

It wasn’t just a regular book and he knew that, but the thought made him feel better nonetheless. 

He opened the book and reread the code. He again felt the strange presence of the dark witches and wizards of the past. He thought he could almost feel their curiosity. They were curious about him. 

“You must be careful Harry, that is a powerful book you are holding.” 

Harry closed the book and jumped to his feet. “Sirius, I…” 

Sirius was leaning against the library’s far wall, a cigar hanging casually from his lips. The moonlight framed his face, and Harry was filled with dread. The expression on his godfather’s face was significant. 

Harry didn’t say anything. He didn’t want to make things worse than they already were. Sirius was going to send him back to Hogwarts, back to the Dursley's. 

Sirius breathed out a cloud of thick smoke which hung in the air. “After speaking with Dumbledore I had a gut feeling,” he said. “So I put a ward on the doors to alert me if anyone came down here.” 

Harry clenched his jaw, suddenly filled with hatred after hearing Dumbledore’s name. “I’m sorry for reading your books without permission, but I’m not sorry for anything else.” 

“I know,” Sirius shrugged. “I’m not angry. I’m proud of the decisions you have made.” 

Harry stopped, dumbfounded. Sirius flicked the cigar, “You saw through Dumbledore and you made allies to help you escape.”

“You’re… you’re not mad?” Harry blurted. “But you’re light Sirius? How..” 

“I’m not actually,” Sirius cut him off. “I never have been. Most people tend to forget that I am a Black, after all.” 

Harry was blown away by this information. “But what about my parents? They were light."

Sirius stepped closer. “Yes, and I was their friend. I fought with them, but they didn’t know the truth. I never told them I was dark. They thought I left that world behind when I left my family behind, Harry. I didn’t though. My magic is my magic, and I wasn’t about to give it up simply because I hated my mother.” 

Harry slumped back into his chair. “So you’re dark, but, Dumbledore?” He couldn’t even form sentences. 

“Dumbledore left me to rot for twelve years in Azkaban,” Sirius hissed with more venom than Harry had ever heard from the man. “He could have gotten me out Harry, but he didn’t. So no, I don’t blame you for escaping him. The same would have happened to you eventually. I am proud of you.” 

This confirmation of his worst fears lit a fire in his chest. He felt his entire being burn as he imagined himself locked away in Azkaban, having already done Dumbledore's bidding. 

“My best friends are Slytherins,” Harry admitted. “I am learning dark magic, and my parents would hate me if they knew. I'm not going to stop."

Sirius’ face relaxed and he laughed, “No, I don’t think they would hate you if they knew. I think they would be proud of you for protecting yourself.” 

He relaxed hearing that. It was very reassuring in a way he couldn't put into words. 

Harry looked down at the book in his hands. Sirius reached out and gently took it from him. "Tomorrow we can read the rest of this together, alright? I believe it's time for bed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I wanted to thank Saren_Voros0 for helping me with this chapter. I am extremely grateful!
> 
> I never understood why Sirius continued living in Grimmauld place when he had access to the Black Vaults. Plus, why would the Black family, one of the wealthiest families in Britain live in such a terrible place? I never understood that, so I figured this would be a good alternative. 
> 
> Go and check out my other fic 'Blackfire' if you are interested in more Dark Harry!!!

**Author's Note:**

> 'Concedam Salutem' basically means 'Granting Safety' in Latin. 
> 
> All feedback is appreciated!! I always try to respond to comments. Also, check out some of my other work if you are interested.


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